BBC Zionists' refusal to air Gaza aid appeal sparks protests

Thursday January 29, 2009 00:28 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A decision by the Zionists controlling the British Broadcasting Corporation to refuse to air an appeal for humanitarian aid for Gaza has led to protests from a number of groups and within the BBC itself.

Protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the British state television service to burn their tv permits, while the station has received thousands of complaints.

The appeal was put out by a dozen large international aid groups, asking for donations to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  It did not mention Israel, or the fact that the widespread destruction in Gaza was caused by three weeks of bombardment by the Israeli military.

Despite the apolitical nature of the ad, the head of the BBC, Mark Thompson, said that he decided not to air the appeal.

He gave two reasons: one, that the aid was unlikely to get into the Gaza Strip, and two, that the BBC is still covering the news from the region, and airing an appeal for the victims would challenge their impartiality.

Critics of the decision, including BBC reporters, point out that every humanitarian aid appeal comes in the midst of news stories.

Appeals for the victims in Darfur, in Indonesia, and every other appeal aired by the BBC over the last thirty years has come in the midst of ongoing news coverage of events, and the network has never before made a decision like this one.