BBC Channel Fails Jewish and LGBT Viewers

The Jewish Chronicle newspaper has published an exclusive report into the output of the BBC Arabic Satellite TV Channel, which is funded from the BBC license fee and serves viewers in the Middle East. The report found high levels of anti-semitic conspiracy nonsense on the station, which was criticised only last year by gay human rights activist Peter Tatchell for allowing its airwaves to be used to attack homosexuality and denigrate Arabic gay people. A Jewish media monitoring organisation called CAMERA, which investigates broadcasters for anti-semitism said that BBC Arabic normalised hatred and questioned why the BBC was not holding it to the same account as English speaking channels it operates. A spokesperson for another national monitoring body, Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “BBC Arabic seems incapable of avoiding controversy relating to Jewish people. To feature tweets on its programmes that peddle antisemitic tropes like Jewish world domination and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state is indefensible... “. After the homophobic content revealed by Mr Tatchell last year, BBC Arabic had said that it tried to balance the various opinions taking place in the Arabic world. However, Mr Tatchell responded “BBC Arabic is not the only World Service channel that has faced accusations of anti-LGBT+ bias. There were similar complaints about BBC Persian last December. “There needs to be a full investigation into the BBC World Service Radio and TV. Both have been repeatedly accused of promoting homophobia. The BBC is not maintaining scrutiny over its output. It has failed to train its overseas service staff in LGBT+ awareness and their obligations under BBC guidelines and UK equality law,” said Mr Tatchell..