Israelis in London protest against TV channel owner
Billionaire businessman Sir Len Blavatnik accused of 'political meddling' by journalists concerned with news output on the country's Channel 13 platform
A group of Israeli citizens living in the UK staged protests this week expressing concerns over what they claim are attempts to suppress press freedom in Israel by Channel 13 owner Sir Leonard Blavatnik.
WeDemocracy demonstrations took place outside the Tate Modern’s Blavatnik Building and the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.
Britain’s second richest man is facing claims his media company is undermining the freedom of the press in Israel.
Ukraine-born billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik, knighted in the UK for services to philanthropy, owns most of Warner Music Group and has interests in several other businesses, including a majority stake in Channel 13 News in Israel.
The channel, often critical of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, last week cancelled a popular programme, War Zone, following a senior staffing shake-up last month that saw an ally of the Prime Minister, Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, installed as head of news.
The move has been criticised by journalists at the channel as “political meddling”, with liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz describing it as “purely a political decision, contravening all financial and journalistic logic”.
Campaigners, who claim the show was axed to avoid criticism of Netanyahu, said on Twitter/X that “they staged the event as a solidarity move in defence of press freedom in Israel. The aim is to put pressure to change the improper appointment of Yulia Shmalov-Berkovic.”
The group maintains that the appointment of a former politician and an ally of Netanyahu as the channel’s chief executive, and the subsequent cancellation of the popular investigative news programme, signals a shift in the network’s editorial independence. The protesters emphasised there is no democracy without free press.
Sir Leonard was brought up in the US, where his parents emigrated when he was a child. He is a dual US-UK citizen who is a keen supporter of the arts in Britain.
He gave £75m to the University of Oxford to establish the Blavatnik School of Government, representing the biggest donation in the university’s 500-year history.
Aviel Lewis, a member of the Pro-Democracy protest group, said: “The British public is not aware of Sir Leonard’s involvement in something that is clearly taking Israeli media years back and corrupting it.”
Protesters, some wearing masks depicting Blavatnik and Netanyahu, chanted, “Blavatnik, don’t mess with freedom of the press!”
Organiser Orit Eyal-Fibeesh said: “It is astonishing how Netanyahu is constantly tempting the world’s richest men to promote and fund his agenda. Sir Len is a great supporter of the arts and sciences. How is it that he is willing to get himself involved in damaging the Israeli freedom of the press?”
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