Protest outside BBC in wake of Hamas-linked Gaza documentary
A minute’s silence was held in memory of those killed on 7 October 2023 and since in Hamas captivity
Protesters gathered outside Broadcasting House in London on Tuesday claiming the BBC has aired Hamas propaganda.
The demonstration was organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which has also criticised the BBC’s coverage of hostage handovers in recent weeks.
Dozens of protesters gathered in central London on Tuesday evening, many with flags and banners.
A minute’s silence was held in memory of those killed on October 7 2023 and since in Hamas captivity.
It comes after the BBC took down a controversial documentary about Gaza from iPlayer while the broadcaster carries out “further due diligence with the production company”.
Last week, the corporation apologised after it emerged that the film’s child narrator is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
Following the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about what life is like in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the BBC later added a disclaimer to the programme.
Further accusations have been made about Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, such as claims that other children were pictured with the terror group Hamas.
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said the documentary is the “tip of the iceberg”.
They said: “We all came out this evening because it is time for transparency and accountability.
“We need to know if licence fee funds went to Hamas, we need to know how a Hamas propaganda programme was broadcast, we need resignations and we finally need an independent inquiry into BBC bias against the Jewish state.
“The problem is clear to everyone now except, apparently, the BBC. That’s when you know there’s an institutional problem.”
Michael Marlowe, the father of Jake Marlowe, who was killed by Hamas during the 7 October attack, told the crowd: “For decades, the BBC stood as the bastion of honest and trustworthy reporting.
“It was the world’s first port of call for global and national news, respected for its integrity and neutrality. But that BBC is long gone.”
The BBC declined to comment on the protest.
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