The BBC has refused to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza, leaving aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations. ITV and Sky followed the BBC line and have also banned the appeal.
Tony Benn, President of Stop the War, said, “To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible. I appeal to the chairman of the BBC Trust to intervene to reverse this decision to save the lives of those who are now in acute danger of dying through a lack of food, fuel, water and medical supplies."
Government minister Douglass Alexander has asked the BBC to reconsider. On the BBC Today program he said listeners 'would be shocked and angered at the BBC position' that their perceived 'impartiality was more in important than the suffering of the people of Gaza.
Update Saturday, 24th January: as a result of massive pressure, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have apparently now agreed to broadcast the Gaza appeal! See this report in the Guardian.The BBC and Sky's position appears to remain the same.
See also an article in the Independent reporting former Cabinet Minister Tony Benn'sdenunciation of the BBC. You can leave a comment at the end of the article. Watch him also on BBC News playing hell with them about their decision (scroll down the page).
Update Saturday Evening, 24th January.The Guardian website reports: BBC crisis over refusal to broadcast Gaza appeal. The Beeb is in a growing pickle as government Ministers and Anglican Archbishops distance themselves from the BBC's monstrous stance. And even Murdoch's Sky is wobbling! Watch this space...
Update Monday 26th June. Sky joins BBC in refusing to air the Gaza appeal. See this article on the BBC website. Bombard Sky with complaints! Keep up the barrage of complaints. You can be certain that the Zionist lobby will be doing the same.
Tony Benn DEC appeal on News 24
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URGENT REQUEST TO ALL STOP THE WAR'S SUPPORTERS GOVERNMENT COMPLAINS TO BBC FOR BLOCKING GAZA APPEAL
JOIN THE GOVERNMENT'S PROTEST: COMPLAIN NOW TO THE BBC!
Stop the War understands that the government has contacted the BBC to complain about its decision to refuse the broadcasting of a humanitarian appeal for Gaza.
The BBC's decision will prevent the raising of millions of pounds in emergency aid being sent to Gaza. Stop the War is demanding that the exchange between the government and the BBC be made public immediately.
The BBC says it is blocking the emergency appeal "to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's "impartiality", as if this has anything to do with humanitarian aid for a devastated people. Either they need the aid or they do not.
This is the first time in the 48 years of similar national appeals for humanitarian aid that a broadcast has been refused. It is estimated that £10 million of urgently required aid will not now be sent to help Palestinians in Gaza, living in catastrophic conditions.
"This is a betrayal of the BBC's obligation to be a public service," said Tony Benn, President of Stop the War. "To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need is incomprehensible."
It is imperative that the BBC responds to the government's complaint and reverses its decision to refuse this broadcast. If it does not, we will see people in Gaza continue to suffer due to being denied emergency relief because of BBC "impartiality" .
Stop the War urges all its supporters to complain to the BBC. We must mobilise all the pressure we can to get the BBC to reverse its decision.
