Jewish groups to protest outside BBC for not calling Hamas 'terrorists'

• The BBC is continuing to face pressure to start describing Hamas as "terrorists" instead of "militants"

• A protest is set to be held by Jewish groups outside Broadcasting House at 6.30pm on Monday evening

• Pro-Palestinian activists have also criticised the BBC, covering its London HQ in red paint on Saturday

Several Jewish organisations are to stage a demonstration on Monday evening outside the BBC's main headquarters over the broadcaster's "continued refusal to call Hamas terrorists".

The UK's National Jewish Assembly (NJA) has urged people to speak out against the corporation for describing Hamas as "militants", pointing out that the group was classed as a terrorist organisation by the government in 2001.

"This is no time for the BBC to call Hamas anything but terrorists," it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling on attendees of Monday evening's protest in London to bring Israeli flags with them to Broadcasting House.

Pressure for the broadcaster to change its wording has come from the very top of government, the Times reports, but the corporation has stood its ground, with veteran foreign correspondent John Simpson claiming the term "terrorist" would mean taking sides in the conflict.

The BBC has also been targeted by a pro-Palestinian group, who covered Broadcasting House in red paint, accusing the broadcaster of having "blood on its hands" by "manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes".

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Exercise caution

Attendees of Monday evening's protest have been urged to bring Israeli flags with them and to "exercise caution when travelling to the venue".

It comes after the Met Police reported a massive rise in antisemitic incidents in the capital following the most recent round of conflict in Israel and Gaza - started by a surprise attack by Hamas on 7 October.

Four Jewish schools in the capital closed their doors on Friday amid fears of being targeted - a sign of the tension felt by much of London's Jewish community.

However, the organisers of Monday's demonstration said both the Metropolitan Police and the Community Security Trust would be on hand to keep people safe.

In an invite to the event, the NJA encouraged people to "protest against the BBC’s continued bias and inaccurate coverage of the atrocities committed by Hamas".

"The BBC has categorically failed to be impartial in its reporting of the Hamas invasion of Israel. The word games must come to an end," it added.

Rishi Sunak and a number of his ministers have criticised the BBC over its refusal to label Hamas "terrorists", with the prime minister saying now is "not a time for equivocation".

In a tense interview on BBC Radio 4 on Friday, defence secretary Grant Shapps said it was “pretty clear” Hamas was behind terrorist acts in Israel and that it was “pretty surprising not to hear it being called that”.

He called on the BBC to follow the government's lead in calling Hamas a terrorist group, prompting presenter Mishal Husain to ask if he'd seen the broadcaster's coverage of "the atrocities, the dead, the injured [and] the survivors?”.

Shapps also told LBC the BBC’s policy is “verging on disgraceful” and said the corporation needs to fix its “moral compass”.

Other senior ministers, including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, have been among those expressing concern about the BBC’s position.

Pro-Palestinians accuse BBC of having 'blood on its hands'

The BBC has also received flak from the opposite end of the spectrum, with pro-Palestinian protesters claiming responsibility for covering Broadcasting House in red paint on Saturday.

Declaring it was behind the stunt, Palestine Action wrote on X: "Palestine Action left a message overnight for the BBC: spreading the occupation's lies and manufacturing consent for Israel's war crimes means that you have Palestinian blood on your hands."

In another statement, the group accused the BBC of being complicit in "manufacturing consent for the occupation's genocide of Palestinians".

A spokesperson for the protest group added: "We at Palestine Action cannot stand by and let Western media justify and manufacture consent for genocide through racist, callous coverage."

The BBC declined to comment on the incident, saying it was a matter for the Met Police. In a statement the force said: "We are aware of criminal damage to a building in Portland Place, W1A."

How has the BBC handled criticism over its Israel-Hamas coverage?

The BBC has defended its decision not to describe Hamas militants as "terrorists" and has said it will meet with members of staff who have questions about its editorial guidelines.

In an email to staff, BBC News and Current Affairs chief executive Deborah Turness said “it is not for us to declare any group as terrorists, it is for us to report when others do”.

She added: “Our audiences turn to us for clarity in a chaotic world, to help them separate fact from fake and we are proud to serve them and part of serving is listening and being responsive."

Meanwhile veteran BBC foreign correspondent John Simpson wrote on X: “Calling someone a terrorist means you’re taking sides and ceasing to treat the situation with due impartiality.

“The BBC’s job is place the facts before its audience and let them decide what they think, honestly and without ranting."

He added: "There’s always someone who would like us to rant. Sorry, it’s not what we do.”

Speaking to Radio 4's The Media Show, the BBC's director of editorial policy and standards, David Jordan said the guideline on Hamas has been in place for many years to avoid a perception of bias.

However, the protests it has faced from both pro-Israelis and supporters of Palestine suggests it may be impossible to please everyone with its coverage on such a complex conflict.