Defiant Levant stands by Spanish slur
A sharp rebuke from the country’s broadcast ethics regulator hasn’t chastened Sun News Networks’ Ezra Levant, who said there’s no reason for him or his network to apologize for an on-air Spanish slur that roughly translates into “go have sex with your mother.”
Mr. Levant railed against Chiquita Brands International in December, after it said it would stop using fuel from Alberta’s oil sands. Mr. Levant challenged the company’s ethical record, but the Canadian Broadcast Standards Councilwas more concerned with a portion of the show when he stared into the camera and told a company executive “Hey you, yeah you, Manuel Rodriguez. Chinga tu madre.”
The network initially argued the word “chingar” has several meanings, including “get lost” and “stop bothering me.” But Mr. Levant said Wednesday that he used the term in the most literal sense.“Of course I did,” he said, arguing that there is no law against swearing on television. “Are you telling me that this is illegal to say in Canada?”
The ethics panel – which is funded by broadcasters – received 22 complaints, all of them referring to the slur.
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