Comments made on a local talk radio show in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States may have offended some listeners but were protected within bounds of free speech, Bermuda's Broadcast Commissioners said on Monday.

The Commission was called to look into segments of the Everest DaCosta show from the week of September 16, following complaints from a member of public. Offended listeners claimed anti-American sentiments and "hateful rhetoric" were being vented on the show by callers suggesting the United States "got what it deserved".

Callers reportedly cited the American actions against Iraqi women and children and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as examples of that nation's foreign policy which raised the ire of other countries. The eight Broadcast Commissioners called a special meeting on Friday to examine the tapes but announced yesterday they had unanimously concluded the radio discussions were "balanced". "The exchange of opinion on the Twin Towers' atrocity and on the foreign policy of the United States did not contravene Section 8 (1) of The Broadcasting Commissioners Act 1953," Commission chairman Timothy Marshall said.

"The opinions, which were balanced by the views of other participants, were critical of US foreign policy, but such criticism was within the perimetres of free speech and not such as to cause offence top an open and tolerant society that recognises `freedom of expression' to be a fundamental right, worthy of protection under Bermuda's Constitution."