Several BBC journalists resigned from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) after being asked to wear colors of the Palestinian flag or a keffiyeh, a scarf synonymous with pro-Palestinian and Hamas support, in a move deemed “hypocritical and antisemitic.”
A number of BBC staff members have quit the NUJ after receiving a directive encouraging workers to “wear something red, green, black, or a Palestinian keffiyeh,” according to a Jewish News report.
The request, sent jointly by the NUJ and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), was part of a “Day of Action for Palestine” aimed at supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, a move that would undoubtedly cement Hamas’s hold on power.
Critics within the BBC called the action a violation of the broadcaster’s impartiality standards.
“BBC journalists, who pride themselves on impartiality and who fought to keep their NUJ free of politics, are being encouraged to break the BBC’s editorial guidelines by supporting a political cause,” one staff member told Jewish News, Britain’s largest Jewish newspaper, adding that the move is both “hypocritical and antisemitic.”
Freelance journalist Charlotte Henry, who resigned from the NUJ, stated she could no longer be part of a union that has become “hostile” to Jews.
In response to the backlash, the NUJ clarified that public service broadcasters like the BBC must adhere to impartiality rules and avoid breaches of social media guidelines.
The controversy comes amid ongoing scrutiny of BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with recent research by British lawyer Trevor Asserson finding over 1,500 instances of editorial guideline breaches and accusations of anti-Israel bias dominating the findings.
This incident highlights ongoing concerns over impartiality and political expression in mainstream media, with more resignations from the NUJ expected in the coming days.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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