Golders Green local slams BBC over 'disgraceful' Hamas coverage after shop attack

One report said that “Hamas militants from Gaza are still fighting” in Israel, whilst a video they posted was titled “Israel confirms soldiers and civilians taken hostage by Palestinian militants”.

Former Tory Party chairman Eric Pickles said the BBC’s coverage had been “universally biased and dreadful”.

He said: “Hamas is a terrorist organisation. They are breaking into civilian homes and murdering children.

“It is beyond belief that the one place you look for balance, the BBC, is not delivering coverage that is fair, balanced or reasonable.

“They need to get their act together.”

Critics have blasted the Beeb over their apparent lack of “fair, balanced or reasonable” reporting.

In other contexts, the BBC has not shied away from using the terms “terror” and “terrorist” but has yet to use those labels in reference to Hamas.

Despite the BBC’s hesitancy, the British Government has labelled Hamas as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In footage obtained by GB News, a man, named locally as Melvin Smallman, can be seen in the clip berating a BBC reporter, calling their coverage “a disgrace”.

The footage was taken outside a Jewish-run shop in Golders Green, which had its window smashed by protesters.

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The area has also seen graffiti emerge overnight reading “Free Palestine”.

Captured from the middle of the conversation, the man said: “You are a blooming disgrace.”

Despite the reporter's best efforts to intervene and state her case, the man continued: “There's no point in saying any more.

“I said enough. You're an absolute disgrace.”

“Every time those people attack, militancy, militancy, militancy. It's never terror. You're an absolute disgrace.

“That's all I've got to say. Can’t say anymore.”

GB News has approached the BBC for comment on the video

Former BBC director of TV slammed his former company’s choice of language in his coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Writing in the Telegraph, he said: “There appears to be a diktat not to use the word “terrorism” even when the acts being reported are terrorism of the most egregious and barbaric kind.

“As if shooting children in cold blood is some part of conventional military warfare. It is nothing of the sort. It is murder, pure and simple. It is terrorism.”

He said that if the Government has labelled the group as a terrorist organisation, then the BBC should feel comfortable in calling them that.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has stated: “The BBC cannot be the trusted public broadcaster that we need if it is unable to call the murder of hundreds of innocent Jewish people by an antisemitic genocidal terror organisation ‘terrorism’.

“Calling this by any other name is unfathomable and only fuels anti-Jewish extremists and apologists for terrorism.”

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.”

Over 1,000 people have died as a result of the Hamas conflict.

Nine US citizens are now confirmed dead, while more than 10 British citizens are feared dead, or missing.