I have been horrified and angered by the coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict. While paying scant regard to the provocation of 10,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilians from Gaza over the last seven years, the BBC has chosen to broadcast ‘human interest’ stories reminiscent of salacious photos in the cheaper red top newspapers.
Not alone
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This is the BBC Home Service…
Tonight our Berlin correspondent reports from the capital of the Third Reich on the devastating affects of the disproportionate allied bombing campaign.
The Red Cross reports that over 30,000 German men, women and children have been killed so far this year, in reponse the the almost neglibable Nazi bombing raids how able to reach the shores of Great Britain.
In more news, stars of stage, screen and radio protested in the blacked-out West End about the continuing war.
Vera Lynn joined by Arthur Askey, Old Mother Riley, Will Hay and a host of other concerned artists outside the Windmill Theatre before marching to Whitehall with a petition to hand personally to the Prime Minister.
I’ve never understood this bollocks about proportionate response. If you’re attached, you hit back as hard as you can.
It’s not up to Hamas to dictate truce terms, they are the ones getting their arses kicked.
The BBC. The best fuckwits the tax payer can buy.
This Israel Hamas war is crucial. Israel must have a complete victory. It is only because USA have not gone out to destroy their enemies that the Iraq and Afgan war has gone on so long. In the long run more people get killed by a prolonged war that a short sharp encounter. However cruel it may sound, if an A bomb had been dropped on Germany early in the last war, less Germans, Russians and others would have been killed.
Then perhaps Fabricant could do something about abolishing the BBC, or at least the TV tax. I have no time for ‘horrified’ MPs. It’s their spinelessness that has allowed this Goebbelsian monster to thrive.
Hey Jack,
Martin Lewis is on the same wavelength as you:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-lewis/stop-this-vicious-slaught_b_155039.html
Going to the conservative website,where Fabricant’s post appears, many of the posts support Fabricant, but some are appalling.
A little perplexed about the “innocent Gazan civilians”. As BBC points out, Hamas was the popularly elected party. The Pals who voted for them must have been aware of the Hamas manifesto. They had no demonstrations against Hamas firing rockets. There were no protests about Hamas moving rocket caches into their neighborhoods. No popular outcry when Hamas murdered their political rivals in broad daylight. In survey after survey the Gazan moms profess to want their children to be martyrs against the Zionist entity.
It seems to me that if you support a terrorist government you loose the right to be called an “innocent” civilian…. But I could be wrong.
Jack,
I have posted your comment over on my own site, A Tangled Web, as it sums up the BBC approach perfectly. Hope that is OK.
DV — honoured! Did you fix the typos as I wrote it extemp with no spell checks?
Will Jones: I don’t believe that they won the election with a 100% margin. I am not sure whether rockets were in their manifesto. Following your logic, Iraqis who lost relatives in the war should be allowed to kill whoever they want in this country because the Labour government killed them?
La Cumparsita:
Hey Jack,
Martin Lewis is on the same wavelength as you:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ ma…t_b_155039.html
Thanks for the heads-up. I don’t read the generally awful Puffington Host!
Alastair Crooke is on the BBC again, this time on Simon Mayo.
Here is something I’ve just posted on the link you gave:
“At last!
Mr Fabricant, 30 years ago I was a Tribunite member of the Labour Party. I believed the only real bias at the BBC was towards the Labour Party. While it was good for Labour electorally I was against it because it was bad for democracy.
BBC bias is now endemic. It went into overdrive when Tony Blair formed an unholy alliance with the subversive left to get elected. It came back to bite him big time when he showed inspìte of dragging British politics through the mud his heart was in the right place when he supported the toppling of Saddam Hussein. One hopes he then came to regret the Faustian pact he had made with the likes of Humphreys and Naughtie.
Complaining to the BBC Trust will do little or nothing. The BBC is riven with subversives. It needs full frontal parliamentary action to rid it of them and restore it to the standards of impartiality and decency that once made us all so proud to be British.”
More lies from Bowen:
“Hamas has had a long term ceasefire with Israel as an official policy for some time.”
Obviously this ‘official policy’ does not seem to have been put into effect with Hamas firing thousands of rockets into Israel.
Ed, shouldn’t B-BBC be promoting a letter writing campaign to MPs calling for a Commons motion of censure to be tabled against the BBC for its anti-semitic coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict?
Here is a letter I sent last week:-
Dear Sir,
RE: GAZA • COMMONS CENSURE MOTION OF THE BBC
One of the worst things that come to light in such times is the insidious way in which much of our media, particularly the BBC, acts as a propaganda arm for terrorists.
I thought Melanie Phillips gave a very good example of this in her Spectator blog 29.12:-
The ineffable BBC reported in radio bulletins on Saturday that Israel ’s attack had ‘put back the chance of peace in the region’. Most sane people would think that the reason peace in the region had been put back was that Hamas was continuing to wage aggressive war.
Is it not long overdue that a Commons motion of censure was tabled against the BBC for its anti-semitic reporting of the Israeli-Arab conflict?
It is conceivable that one can be an anti-Zionist and support the destruction of Israel by legitimate military means without being anti-semitic, but aiding & abetting the heirs of Adolf Hitler can be nothing but anti-semitic.
I fear that one of the reasons the above motion has not been tabled is that the evil the BBC subjects Israel to would be turned against the sponsors. It would indeed take an enormous amount of courage.
The BBC’s anti-semitism is a threat to our national security. The terrorist enemy we face is the one Israel faces. Because of this the BBC loses no propaganda opportunity to undermine our war against it. Before 7/7 there was ‘The Power of Nightmares’. Directly after 7/7 the BBC gave camera crews to Hamas Spokesman Dr Azzam Timimi and various other terrorist mouthpieces to make propaganda films. Then we had the suppression of the Balen Report.
The defence of Israel is the defence of civilisation. For the sake of British democracy and the honour of our nation I implore you to table this motion.
Yours respectfully,
Graeme Thompson
CC: Hon Andrew Dismore MP; Hon Dr Denis MacShane MP; Rt Hon Alun Michael MP; Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP; Hon James Clappison MP; Hon David Amess MP; Hon Sir Alan Beith MP
Excellent stuff Graeme, and I commend this approach to all.
Ed:
Excellent stuff Graeme, and I commend this approach to all.
second that!
awesome!
It is conceivable that one can be an anti-Zionist and support the destruction of Israel by legitimate military means without being anti-semitic
Err … no, one can’t. Israel is the national home and free country of the Jewish nation. You cannot support its destruction by ‘legitimate military means’ (whatever that’s supposed to be) and not be antisemitic, any more than you can be against a free Japanese country in 2009 and support its destruction without being a pathological hater of the Japanese.
The first line from another hideous BBC report:
“The bloodied children are clearly civilians”
So Hamas don’t have any members who are young teens? A group that carries out suicide bombings, that regularly put toddlers in black overalls and green headbands, that advocates the extermination of all Jews… they wouldn’t dare have a few 12 year olds in their ranks building quassams or carrying kalashnikovs?
The rest of the article is a propaganda piece for the terrorist rights organisations of HRW and B’Tselem:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7811386.stm
Martin | 05.01.09 – 1:03 pm
If you’re attached, you hit back as hard as you can.
True. But what if you’re unattached?
(Sorry, couldn’t stop myself.)
Graeme Thompson | 05.01.09 – 2:07 pm
Good letter, and good idea. Only criticism is that the danger of mentioning Melanie Phillips, the most eloquent writer on the subject in this country, is that she has become an instant turn-off to some people who have found it easier to dismiss her as Mad and disregard everything she utters, than to engage with any of it.
Jews stand accused
Hi Sue, people who dismiss Melanie Phillips aren’t worth taking seriously.
The subversives who have taken over the BBC are overgrown spoilt brats who’ve gotten away for so much for so long they think they’re untouchable. They need to be given a short, sharp smack and sent upstairs without supper till they learn to behave.
If it doesn’t happen now it never will.
Let’s not forget these other images of those innocent Palestinian children:
http://images.google.es/images?q=hamas%20children
This is really worth checking out:
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=HomePage
Then go to the Watch Israelity YouTube link to the left of the Home Page – sophielins link.
Illuminating stuff. We can only be grateful that the Burqua Broadcasting Crescent isn’t the only news source.
The BBC’s bias is in favour of the underdog and perceived victim, whether criminal, poor person, African or child. It is against authority and business.In this it reflects the youth of its staff, still concerned to resist adult authority.
Its lack of understanding or sympathy for business is understandable, since it is financed by compulsion, and doesn’t have to worry about getting people to part with money voluntarily.
It virtually never takes the position of an individual or society whose main focus is to make a living, probably because it lives on handouts, and certainly because it recruits left-minded staff.
The World Service is much worse in its obvious bias than home stations, and probably gets away with it because it is relatively unobtainable, certainly on FM. The taxpayer is required to finance it, not to listen to it. It is desperately parochial. If you are interested in Palestine or Africa or some other perceived victim, you get some news. If you would like to know about South East Asia, for instance, hard luck. If you seriously think it’s not biased, look at the composition of guests on the Dimbleby programmes. Ask yourself what Roy Hattersley (and even Tony Benn, Lord help us) are doing being dragged out decade after decade…
and even Tony Benn, Lord help us
Indeed. But I think this shows that youth has nothing to do with it. You can be a lefty loony moron at any age.
Here’s another gem from dear old Radio Solent. Perhaps in an attempt to balance their coverage (did this site’s mention of the hysterical sobbing Gazan reach their office?), they have found a local company importing farm machinery from Zedrot(?). The spokesman for the company tells how he had to shelter from ‘air raids’ while he was there.
Listen to the whole report to hear (29 minutes in) how one side is launching ‘air strikes’, the other ‘rocket fire’. How easy it would be to think that the interviewee is sheltering from Israeli fire…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p001vrch/Jon_Cuthill_05_01_2009/
Anonymous: but the BBC’s supposed interest in “undergods”, as you put it, can’t explain why they ignore – in fact hate – the most likely candidate of all, Israel. A tiny country entirely surrounded by Muslims baying for their blood – indeed, demanding they be “wiped off the map”. With no allies left once G. Bush leaves the stage, and about to face a psychopathic enemy armed with nuclear weapons. So why does the BBC STILL continue to despise this “underdog”? Not really surprising that the charge of anti-semiticism is about all that’s left to explain it…
Not really surprising that the charge of anti-semiticism is about all that’s left to explain it…
Robert | 05.01.09 – 4:07 pm
Liberally sprinkled with stupidity, ignorance and incompetence.
In the Islington ‘mind’, Arabs are perceived as ‘brown’, therefore ‘victims’. Jews are perceived as ‘white’, therefore ‘colonial oppressors’.
Al Beeb doesn’t quite say this, but the meme of ‘Jews are European colonisers’ pervades their propaganda.
The more ignorant among them – as distinct from pathological haters like Al Bowen – probably don’t even know that there is such a thing as Iraqi and Yeminite Jews.
Anon 3:19
Agree with your post generally except that , for some reason, the BBC’s support for the “underdog” doesn’t seem to extend to Chechnya, Georgia or Taiwan. And they seem to be pretty ambivalent about Tibet.
I think for the BBC, it has to be the “right kind of underdog”.
Biodegradable,
Pure child abuse. I can’t find the links, but it reminds me of:
The Hamas Mouse (killed off under international pressure – by the IDF).
The Palestinian phone in programme where children were taught to scream Jihad over the airwaves.
Why are we suddenly supposed to believe Pali’s love their kids? Normally the wankers are quite happy to see them go off with explosives strapped to them.
Didn’t the bearded fuckwit that was taken out the other day send one of his own kids off as a suicide bomber?
I think for the BBC, it has to be the “right kind of underdog”.
You can’t blame the Joos for Tibet, can you? That’s that, then.
And don’t forget that the Chinese are not Europeans. To the ignorant tossers at the BBC, this means that ‘they can’t be racists or inmperialists’.
Yes Grimer. The Pals dress their kids in made-to-measure combat uniforms, give them real weapons to play with, send them to summer camps where they’re taught to hate Jews and how to kill them, then weep crocodile tears when the kids are killed unintentionally.
Here’s a link to Farfur, Hamas’ genocidal mouse:
http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2007/05/disney_vs_hamas.html
http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2007/07/of-mice-and-mar.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7810846.stm
Apparently Newton copied an Arab – obviously!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melanie Phillips has this story on her blog. I find it incredible that eight years after the second Intifada started when the output from the BBC was so one-sided and pathetically anti-Israel (“Jenin massacre” comes to mind) that only now an MP and a Jewish one at that writes in this way. The majority of the Jewish MPs in parliament (with the prominent exclusion of those like Louise Ellman) seem to duck under their seats whenever Israel is discussed for fear of being labelled as having dual loyalties or are downright hostile and self-hating like Gerald Kaufman who in 2002 called Israel a pariah for having the temerity to defend itself which was immediately picked up by the BBC and turned into a condemnation of all of Israel’s policies. No what I personally would like to see is an all party group of non-Jewish MPs face up to the BBC and call them stinkers to their face – why do the jews have to do all the dirty jobs?
Nearly Oxfodian,
Bowen once had a biography made by the BBC – Jeremy Bowen: On The Front Line. It covered his career including the Balkans and Lebanon. Towards the end of the programme, he talked about the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in the late 90’s. As the Israelis pulled back, they fired upon Bowen’s fixer’s car. It was destroyed and the fixer was killed (to be honest, it did seem to be totally unnecessary). Bowen stated that he would never forgive the IDF for killing his friend.
Now, he is the BBC’s Middle East correspondent.
Enough said…
Fucking classic on BBC News 24. Lord Levy (remember this twat?) spouting on about George Bush letting the world down about Palestine. I think George Bush has had enough of his plate for the last 8 years.
Well that was enough to make me vomit, but then the thicko beeboid came out with a classic.
“Hillary Clinton has the experience as Foreign Secretary as she was married to President Clinton!!!!…)
Classic. So ladies. If you sleep with Lewis Hamilton that will qualify you to drive a racing car.
Only the BBC could come out with this utter shite.
Grimer: I can’t forgive the IDF either. For not slotting Bowen at the same time.
i had the pleasure of sending an email to some low life bbc reporter ill pst his reply and mine now….
Sir
Your bias is blatent and widespread. The fact that you don’t see it does not mean its not there. It only shows how blinkered you are to your own
organisation.
The bbc has ignored years of abuses by islamist killers and pretends that they are the victims. Tell that to the young gay men who
are butchered in the Gaza Strip. Try tell that to the Fatah members who are being shot in the legs to prevent them trying to overthrow Hamas.
Words cannot tell you how despicable you and your propaganda machine are. I will just say that I have donated money to israeli charities for the first time today because of the bbc bias. You are no better than the men who filmed Jewish concentration camps during WW2 and pretended they were luxury spas.
I sincerely hope your bearded mulla friends take a few more of you hostage. You are anti Semetic scum.
Neil Gardner
Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
please use and argument not an insult
and finally my reply.
I can ignore your spelling error which makes your reply meaningless and repost my argument, though insults are well justified.
“The bbc has ignored years of abuses by islamist killers and pretends that they are the victims. Tell that to the young gay men who
are butchered in the Gaza Strip. Try tell that to the Fatah members who are being shot in the legs to prevent them trying to overthrow Hamas”
I could add that listening to your gaza journalist recently say “our fighters are preparing to resict the Israelis” or having to listen to the parents of the last kidnapped bbc reporter say “he only wanted to tell about the plight of the palastinian people” no bias there then! or how about your refusal to tell us how many of the dead are actually terrorists, sorry, freedom fighters?
You are biased. you are not a reporter you are a propagandist. Dont reply , you are not worth the keystrokes.
Neil Gardner
Let’s hope the Tories grant the BBC the freedom to raise its own money and sell its products to willing customers.
I’d be amazed if the aboliton of any tax would be a vote loser so the Tories should promise it now. It might even win them a few seats on councils in the inner cities where most of the victims of the BBC’s revenue staff live.
5Live “news” this morning sometime between 09:00 and 09:45 included the usual distinction whereby Israelis “died” but Palestinians were “killed”. It’s insidious, it’s deliberate, it’s disgusting.
ipreferred: I seem to remember some members of the ROP setting off bombs in London to avenge the war. I can’t imagine all the casualties were Labour supporters. I suspect there were few Gazans who were particulary concerned about who on the bus or tube were innocents.
Obviously you are correct that some of those folks were blameless and I was insensitive to suggest that they all bore some responsibility for their plight. Clearly if one searches carefully they can find innocents in any group.
Mea culpa
Despite the BBC’s protestations, it is politically accurate to describe the ‘BBC’ and the ‘BBC World Service’ as entwined – obvious examples of cross-over personnel include J. Simpson, and L. Doucet.
“The Real Agenda” (Melanie Phillips)
[Extract]:
“BBC World TV has spent much of the day whining that Israel is refusing to allow the international media entry into Gaza despite an Israeli court ruling that it should allow the media in. This is amongst the reasons why it isn’t choosing to do so:
{-extract below from ‘Jerusalem Post’}
‘Police were searching Saturday night for a foreign reporter working for an Iranian TV network who reported the IDF incursion into Gaza before the military authorized the release of the information to the public. Also Saturday evening, a reporter for the Lebanese LBC network who was broadcasting near the Gaza Strip said the IDF was moving from Nahal Oz towards the Nezarim junction. The reporter surmised that the military was planning to sever the Gaza Strip in half, effectively isolating Gaza City in an effort to minimize Hamas terrorists’ ability to exploit urban areas. The anchor reportedly stood in a vantage point overlooking the IDF staging grounds and reported military maneuvers.’ ”
http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/3206066/the-real-agenda.thtml
Martin – v funny.
What stupid Muslim wankers!!!! ITV have video of the Palis’ letting their kids just walk around the streets then wonder why they get killed.
Morons!!!!!!!!
Martin, kids just walking around in the street is nothing compared to this:
http://images.google.es/images?q=hamas%20children
GO ON ISRAEL – KEEP KICKING HAMAS BUTT!
(Sorry, just had to get that off my chest)
MAPS for BBC on:
Islamic world v. Israel
– the scale of the problem –
Maps 1.)
“Maps don’t lie!”
http://www.masada2000.org/geography.html
Maps 2.)
“The Angst of Supporting Israel”
http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2009/01/02/the-angst-of-supporting-israel/
I urge every supporter on Israel to participate in this Evening Standard poll as soon as possible.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/poll/poll-33897-details/ques-33908-id/Lite+poll%3A+Israel+conflict/poll.do
Thank you.