The BBC has steadfastly refused to refer to the group as terrorists, instead using the term “militants”. BBC executives have claimed that they cannot use the term terrorists because it would violate impartiality standards.
By World Israel News Staff
At least one thousand protesters gathered outside of the BBC’s headquarters in London on Monday evening, urging the news outlet to refer to Hamas as a terror organization in its reporting.
The BBC has steadfastly refused to refer to the group as terrorists, instead using the term “militants”. BBC executives have claimed that they cannot use the term terrorists because it would violate impartiality standards.
However, that assertion has been debunked by British regulatory group OFCOM, which supervises news broadcasts. Additionally, the network has used the term “terrorists” to describe violent, armed groups in the past.
The protest, which was organized by the National Jewish Assembly (NJA), included members of local Jewish groups, along with Iranian dissidents opposed to the current regime, who hoisted pre-Islamic Revolution flags.
Others in the crowd carried Israeli flags and signs bearing the names and images of those who had been kidnapped and killed by Hamas on October 7th, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
“We’ve seen terrorism before, we’ve seen hate before, we’ve seen evil before. But this time they committed a massacre in Israel and this is the first time it’s happened, and we all have to think about it,” TV presenter Andre Walker told the crowd, according to a Ynet report.
“It’s time to tell the BBC they can’t hedge their risks when it comes to beheading babies, burning people alive and murdering innocent civilians. We will never tolerate it.”
Notably, pro-Palestinian activists are similarly unhappy with the BBC’s coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
During a rally on Saturday, the Palestine Action group vandalized the BBC’s headquarters with red paint, which they said symbolized blood on the network’s hands.
In a statement taking credit for the act, Palestine Action claimed that the BBC was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes.”