Moron Of The Day: Chris Rogers

Because it takes a special level of moronism to get caught giving a Nazi salute and goose stepping – while filming a documentary about the problem of antisemitism in Europe.

A BBC journalist was filmed giving a Nazi salute and goose stepping while filming a documentary about anti-Semitic football fans in Poland and Ukraine.

Chris Rogers was caught marching with one finger under his nose, as crew reportedly looked on.

The BBC Panorama documentary Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate, was filmed two years ago ahead of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine – but details of the gaffe have only just come to light.

Mr Rogers – a former Newsround children’s television presenter – admitted that he displayed a ‘lack of judgment’.

He said: ‘I fully accept that some of my behaviour, which was intended as a joke, was deeply inappropriate particularly given the seriousness of what we were filming.

‘I apologised and was strongly reprimanded by the BBC. I might have displayed a lack of judgement but none of this detracts from the serious football racism exposed in the programme.’

There was an internal probe into Mr Rogers’ behaviour, and he was temporarily frozen out of the show by a ‘livid editor’. A spokesman said that Mr Rogers was freelance and had not been used for the Panorama programme in two years after the incident.

They added: ‘Chris Rogers has apologised for his behaviour.

‘We took the appropriate action at the time – two years ago – and now regard the matter as closed.

You can see Mr Rogers in between the Nazi salutes and goose-stepping here.

Update: Here’s Roger’s show reel, which is strangely missing his Nazi imitation exploits, but does include some anti-Israel reporting, as well as some deep undercover work.

Given hosting a documentary about antisemitism seems to have tempted him to act like a Nazi, one can only hope he was not similarly influenced by that story.