Rishi Sunak blasts the BBC for refusing to call the Hamas murderers terrorists as ministers demand answers over the decision
- Sunak said ‘we should call it out for what it is’ in reference to the BBC’s coverage
The BBC’s refusal to refer to Hamas murderers as terrorists was criticised by ministers today.
Referring to the broadcaster’s choice of language in its news programmes, Rishi Sunak declared: ‘This is not a time for equivocation, we should call it out for what it is.’
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer took BBC boss Tim Davie to task during a meeting, demanding answers over why his journalists chose not to call Hamas gunmen terrorists.
Although the Government classifies Hamas as a ‘single terrorist organisation’, the broadcaster has continually referred to it as a ‘militant’ group and called the invasion a ‘militant’ attack.
Today the BBC continued to refer to the attackers as ‘the Hamas militant group’, ‘Hamas militants’ and ‘Palestinian militants’ in its online news coverage.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blasted the BBC for refusing to call the Hamas terrorists before attending Finchley United Synagogue in central London for victims and hostages of Hamas attacks on Monday
People take part in a ‘Vigil for Israel’ opposite the entrance to Downing Street on Monday
There has been growing disquiet about the BBC’s refusal to use the word ‘terrorist’ given the horrific scenes on social media of the Islamist group inflicting brutal violence on Israeli citizens.
Mr Sunak was speaking about the issue during a visit to a Currys repair and customer service centre in Nottinghamshire this morning.
Today, speaking at the Future Resilience Forum security conference in London, the PM added: ‘Innocent teenagers at a festival of peace were gunned down in cold blood and the sickening evidence posted online. It is inhuman – and it will not stand. Terrorism will not prevail.’
One BBC report described a warning that ‘Hamas militants from Gaza are fighting’ in Israel, while another said Israeli forces were carrying out operations to rescue hostages ‘taken by Palestinian militants’.
Former Tory party chairman Eric Pickles has branded the broadcaster’s coverage as ‘universally biased and dreadful’.
Former Labour MP Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, said: ‘There’s a responsibility on all the media. These people are terrorists. Hamas is a terrorist organisation. Language matters. When you treat countries differently you exacerbate the problem.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We reported the Hamas attacks and the response by Israel in line with the BBC’s editorial guidelines.
‘We have included contributors who have condemned the attackers as terrorists.’
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