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We are demonstrating against the BBC’s victim-blaming of Jews
This Monday, 13th December, we are holding a demonstration outside BBC Broadcasting House in London, to protest the BBC's victim-blaming of Jews.
Over Chanukah, the national media reported on an antisemitic incident on Oxford Street in central London, when a group of Jewish teenagers celebrating the festival were accosted by a group of men. Videos taken by the teenagers showed the assailants shouting antisemitic insults and swearing at them, forcing them back onto their bus. The men then began hitting the bus with their hands and then their shoes, spitting on it, trying to break windows and performing Nazi salutes.
The BBC reported that the evident antisemitism was mere “allegation”, but simultaneously claimed — alone among all media outlets — that “some racial slurs about Muslims can also be heard from inside the bus,” an assertion made with no evidence to support it and which was even contradicted in the article by a witness from the bus who said that she heard no such slurs.
A reporter appearing on BBC London Evening News even suggested that these “slurs” may somehow have provoked the incident, in spite of what the footage clearly shows. The BBC appears to have fed this unsubstantiated claim to the Metropolitan Police, which was already investigating the incident as a hate crime and which then informed the BBC that the incident will be looked at “in its entirety.”
Despite public fury, the BBC refused to release the evidence for its assertion, instead merely amending the article to refer to an “anti-Muslim slur” in the singular. Still, however, nobody is able to discern any slur — let alone being able to hear one “clearly”, as the BBC has insisted — and no evidence has been provided. Moreover, the alleged slur is still reported as fact while the obvious antisemitism remains a mere “allegation”.
This incident is not unique. For too long, the BBC has victim-blamed Jewish people for antisemitism, downplayed racism towards Jews, platformed antisemites and fuelled antisemitism in Britain.
We are demanding explanations over the BBC’s outrageous coverage, reiterating our call for the BBC to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism and urging the BBC to apologise to the Jewish community.
Please join us this Monday, 13th December, for a “BBC News: Stop Blaming Jews!” demonstration outside the BBC.
To attend the protest, please register at antisemitism.org/bbc.
Placards will be provided. At the suggestion of the police, we are asking that attendees wear masks at the protest.
We also discuss the Oxford Street incident on today's episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism, which also features an interview with actor Eddie Marsan. The episode can be streamed here or downloaded wherever you get your podcasts.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism Team
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