Activists project censored Gaza documentary onto BBC Scotland office
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The BBC's removal of a documentary detailing "Israel's" aggression against the Gaza Strip has sparked fierce backlash from pro-Palestinian activists, who decried it as an attempt to silence critical voices.
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Protesters gather outside the BBC Scotland building to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Glasgow on October 14, 2023. (AFP).
Pro-Palestinian activists have condemned the BBC for removing a documentary about "Israel’s" violent actions in the Gaza Strip from its streaming service, projecting the film onto the broadcaster's Scotland office.
On Sunday, members of the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee, carrying Palestinian flags, gathered outside the BBC Scotland headquarters in Glasgow, chanting slogans like “Boycott the BBC” and “Don’t pay the license fee.”
They condemned the BBC’s "shameful" decision to remove the documentary 'Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone' from iPlayer and proceeded to project it back onto the corporation’s building in Glasgow.
Shamefully, the BBC pulled its showing of How To Survive a Warzone.
— GGEC (@ggectee) March 2, 2025
Tonight, at BBC Scotland, we’re showing it right back to them.
For the children of Gaza.🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/98VKUeDTRL
The film, produced by independent company Hoyo Films, was broadcast on BBC Two on February 16. However, it was taken down five days later following complaints from those advocating "Israel’s" genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Following the revelation that the film’s 13-year-old English-speaking narrator, Abdullah, was the son of Ayman al-Yazouri, a deputy minister for agriculture in Gaza, pro-"Israel" activists increased pressure on the BBC.
In contrast, hundreds of TV and film professionals, along with journalists, wrote an open letter to the BBC, condemning the broadcaster’s decision to remove the program as "politically motivated censorship." They also condemned the “racist assumptions and weaponization of identity” regarding the narrator’s background.
Meanwhile, the International Centre for Justice for Palestinians criticized the concerns raised about the documentary, urging the BBC to “stand firm against these attempts to prevent first-hand accounts of life in Gaza from reaching audiences.”
BBC succumbs to Israeli lobby
Late last month, the British government held an urgent meeting with the BBC regarding a documentary about children's lives in Gaza, which came under intense scrutiny, particularly from the Israeli lobby.
The BBC had long been accused of pro-Israeli bias, with even its internal employees and editors voicing their discontent with the broadcaster's editorial policy, particularly amid the war on Gaza.
In mid-February, BBC aired the documentary, but then withdrew it following pressure from the Israeli lobby, including the Israeli ambassador to the UK, as well as British officials such as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
The film came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed that one of its featured children, 13-year-old Abdullah Alyazouri, was the son of Dr. Ayman Alyazouri, a deputy minister in the Gaza government, which is led by the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas.
The BBC's decision to withdraw the documentary followed pressure from pro-"Israel" advocates, including the Israeli ambassador to the UK, as well as British officials such as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who suggested that she would engage with the BBC over the matter.
While the BBC stated it was conducting “further due diligence” on the production, the decision sparked widespread debate about media impartiality and the portrayal of Palestinians in British media. The broadcaster noted that the film "features important stories" about the experiences of children in Gaza but would not be available on iPlayer while the review was ongoing.
