BBC responds to ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ takedown backlash

nme.com:

BBC has released a statement on why its documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was pulled from BBC iPlayer.The programme explored the lives of children in Gaza during the current humanitarian crisis there.

However, it was removed from iPlayer after it came to light that the 14-year-old boy who narrated it was the son of an official for Palestinian organisation Hamas.The decision prompted over 700 artists, including Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt and Riz Ahmed, to sign a letter under the name Artists For Palestine UK condemning the BBC.The letter reads: “We are UK-based film & TV professionals and journalists writing in support of the BBC documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which aired on February 17 on BBC TWO and was subsequently made available on iPlayer.

This film is an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances, which amplifies voices so often silenced.

It deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.”The letter goes on to criticise what it calls the “Racist Assumptions & Weaponisation of Identity” regarding the narrator’s background; the “disregard” of “core safeguarding principles” regarding the scrutiny based on the child; and what it describes as the BBC’s “responsibility” meeting “editorial and compliance standards”.