Over 500 media workers have signed a letter condemning the BBC for “racism” and “censorship” after the broadcaster pulled a video highlighting the horrific impact the war on Gaza has had on Palestinian children.
Gary Lineker, Khalid Abdalla, Anita Rani, and Miriam Margolyes were among the signatories of the open letter published by Artists for Palestine UK that condemned the British public broadcaster’s decision to remove ‘Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone’ from its iPlayer platform following outrage among pro-Israeli activists.
The artists and journalists described the BBC’s decision to censor the movie, which reveals the harrowing conditions children in Gaza are currently enduring, as “racist” and “dehumanising”.
It comes as six Palestinian children in the enclave died of hypothermia due to the bitter cold and a lack of essential shelter and clothes available to them due to Israel’s assault and siege on the enclave.
“Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives. This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion,” the letter read.
“As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.”
The BBC removed the documentary as it went through additional “due diligence” checks regarding some of those featured in the film, after a campaign was launched by supporters of Israel regarding the content.
Among those targeted by pro-Israel activists was the 14-year-old protagonist Abdullah Al-Yazouri, whose father, Ayman Al-Yazouri, served as Gaza’s deputy agriculture minister, a completely civilian role.
An estimated 17,861 children are among the approximately 61,00 Palestinians killed since Israel launched its devastating assault on Gaza on 7 October 2023, which has had a particularly devastating impact on the young and old.
Whole swathes of Gaza have been left in complete ruins as Israel maintains its crippling siege on Gaza, including on supplies essential such as food and medicine, while UNICEF says that 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip are unaccompanied or separated.
At least of 12 BBC staff put their names to the letter, while filmmakers senior executives & filmmakers Brian Hill and Rich Peppiatt, and Sara Agha also spoke out against the broadcaster’s decision.
“The UK film and TV industry will no longer be intimidated by those whose sole mission it is to censor the voices of the many who are defending the rights of children, the marginalised and those in desperate need,” said Nada Issa, an award-winning producer/director and journalist who is part Palestinian and Lebanese.
“All stories have the right to be told and journalistic scrutiny should not be at the whim of those who deem certain lives unequal.”
The BBC board will discuss the film on Thursday, with hopes that the letter will highlight the public outrage over the removal of the film about Gaza’s suffering population.
