Gary Lineker has mounted a spirited defence of the now-pulled BBC documentary ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ in a letter to BBC boss Tim Davie. Cometh the hour…
The departing football presenter is claiming along with Miriam Margolyes, Countryfile presenter Anira Rani and smattering of other BBC staff that it was fine to feature the minister of agriculture’s son prominently because his role in the Hamas government is “a civil service role concerned with food production” and “conflating such governance roles in Gaza with terrorism is both factually incorrect and dehumanising.” They also say the documentary is “an essential piece of journalism, offering an all too rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinians”…
Lineker et al argue the fierce opposition to the programme is based on a ‘racist insinuation’:
“This broad-brush rhetoric assumes that Palestinians holding administrative roles are inherently complicit in violence – a racist trope that denies individuals their humanity and right to share their lived experiences. As industry professionals who craft stories for the British public, including for the BBC, we condemn the weaponisation of a child’s identity and the racist insinuation that Palestinian narratives must be scrutinised through a lens of suspicion. We urge you to reject these tactics, protect vulnerable voices, and reaffirm your commitment to stories that hold power to account. Our screens and our society depend on it. “
Davie is currently sitting on another letter from Kemi Badenoch calling for an independent inquiry into not only the documentary but the entirety of the BBC’s coverage of the Middle East. Busy inbox…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”