Pro-Palestinian demonstration over BBC 'bias' in reporting of Gaza conflict

 
BBC protest: Crowds outside New Broadcasting House (Picture: Twitter/@Fio_edwards)
Robin de Peyer15 July 2014

Protesters accused the BBC of "anti-Palestinian bias" in its reporting of the Gaza conflict as they staged a demonstration outside the corporation's central London headquarters this evening.

Crowds chanted "BBC, shame on you" by New Broadcasting House near Oxford Circus during a protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop and War and the CND.

It came as a proposed ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt collapsed.

Israeli forces resumed bombing just hours after the ceasefire came into effect this morning as the country's eight-day conflict with Hamas saw the Palestinian death toll approach 200.

In a statement posted online ahead of the demonstration, organisers said: "As a publicly funded broadcaster the BBC is duty-bound to provide balanced reporting without bias.

"Once again Gaza is under massive aerial bombardment from Israeli warplanes and drones, and, once again, the BBC’s reporting of these assaults is entirely devoid of context or background."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Outside my BBC studio in central London right now. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Demo?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-https://twitter.com/hashtag/Demo?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#Demo</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&amp;id=222025&amp;p=http://t.co/eXL7mZHBrm" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-http://t.co/eXL7mZHBrm" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/eXL7mZHBrm</a>— Valley Fontaine (@Hair_Valley) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Hair_Valley/statuses/489098178281885696" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-https://twitter.com/Hair_Valley/statuses/489098178281885696" data-vars-event-id="c23">July 15, 2014</a>

The protest followed Hamas rejecting the proposed ceasefire deal on the grounds that it was not consulted and its demands had not been met.

In a statement issued by his officer earlier today, Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said: "Hamas's rejection of the ceasefire gives Israel full legitimacy to expand the operation to protect our people. No country would sit idly by while its civilian population is subjected to terrorist rocket fire. Israel is no exception."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/PSCupdates" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-https://twitter.com/PSCupdates" data-vars-event-id="c23">@PSCupdates</a> London demo against anti-Palestinian bias of BBC. "BBC - shame on you " "What do we want?" "Justice!" <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&amp;id=222025&amp;p=http://t.co/04pPs88S6c" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-http://t.co/04pPs88S6c" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/04pPs88S6c</a>— Stephen Bell (@RednRuff) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RednRuff/statuses/489089485880451072" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-212526-https://twitter.com/RednRuff/statuses/489089485880451072" data-vars-event-id="c23">July 15, 2014</a>

A Met Police spokesman said "appropriate policing measures would be in place" for the protest as several roads in the area were blocked off.

It was unclear how many people were present at the demonstration but footage from the scene suggested several hundred protesters were involved.

A BBC spokesperson said: “BBC News reports widely and extensively across TV, radio and online, on many different aspects of this ongoing and complex conflict. Our role is to explain what is happening and why and we endeavour to reflect a range of voices, amid deeply held views. We are committed to continuing to report and analyse sometimes fast moving events in an accurate, fair and balanced way.”

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