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Old 01-27-2009, 02:11 AM   #1
Antaletriangle
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Default We will never work for the BBC again - actors and directors in Gaza protest

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ente...for.4914990.jp

Published Date: 27 January 2009
By EMILY PYKETT
ACTORS and directors have warned the BBC they will not work for the corporation again if it does not broadcast the Gaza charity appeal.
In a letter written to Mark Thompson, the BBC's director-general, the actors Tam Dean Burn and Pauline Goldsmith, and the directors Peter Mullan and Alison Peebles, said they were "appalled" by the refusal to show the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal.

Their ultimatum came as the satellite broadcaster Sky also decided yesterday it would not screen the DEC film. Like the BBC, it said it wanted to protect the impartiality of its news reports.

Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis, with its 1.5 million population urgently needing food, water, medicine and shelter, after Israel's three-week assault.

The BBC said yesterday it had received about 15,000 complaints about its decision not to screen the appeal for the DEC, which represents several charities.

A sit-in protest has been staged at the BBC Scotland headquarters in Glasgow, with some demonstrators setting fire to their TV licences, while a line of police officers guarded the entrance to Broadcasting House in London.

The open letter to the BBC, written a day after the Oscar nominee Samantha Morton threatened to boycott the corporation, reads: "We, the undersigned actors and directors, like millions of others, are absolutely appalled at the decision by the BBC to refuse to broadcast the DEC appeal for Gaza.

"We therefore are taking what action we can in protest at this decision by stating, like our fellow actor Samantha Morton, we will never work for the BBC again unless this disgraceful decision is reversed. We will urge others from our profession and beyond to do likewise.

"We will also not pay our TV licence fee in protest and encourage others to do likewise. It is time for the people of Britain to take a stand on this issue by demanding the BBC reverse this decision and by supporting the call from Palestinian civil society for a complete economic, academic and cultural boycott of Israel until it ends its pitiless violence against the long-suffering people of Gaza and the whole of Palestine."

The decision not to broadcast the appeal has also attracted a chorus of condemnation. The Charity Commission said it was "very disappointed" with both Sky and the BBC. Dame Suzi Leather, its chairwoman, said: "Emergency appeals of this nature rely on publicity to ensure they are well supported by the public, and without the funds that result from that publicity, the work of the member aid agencies of the DEC could be severely hampered."

The Labour peer Baroness Uddin, the first Muslim woman in the House of Lords, told Mr Thompson yesterday that the BBC's decision had been a "gross misjudgment". She said: "We should all be demanding that BBC governors intervene in this matter and reconsider its position."

Angus Robertson, MP, the SNP's Westminster leader and a former international affairs reporter with the BBC, said: "With every day that passes, the BBC's defiance becomes more and more ridiculous."

John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, also criticised the corporation, saying the money the appeal was raising was for those who were hungry, sick, wounded or in need of shelter.

Avi Shlaim, the professor of international relations at the University of Oxford, said Sky and BBC management were behaving in a "cowardly" way.

Mohammed Shafiq, the chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, a UK Muslim youth organisation, also urged the broadcasters to reconsider.

Judith Robertson, who chairs DEC Scotland, has called for Scots to donate to the Gaza appeal: "Clearly, the DEC is disappointed that the BBC has decided not to broadcast the appeal film. However, what matters most is that the public make a donation."

• Donate to the DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal at www.dec.org.uk, by calling 0370 60 60 900, or at any Oxfam, Red Cross, Save the Children or Islamic Relief shop, high-street bank or post office.
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Old 01-27-2009, 03:39 AM   #2
Anchor
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Default Re: We will never work for the BBC again - actors and directors in Gaza protest

How much of that charity money ends up in the coffers of the dark elite?
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Old 01-27-2009, 08:47 AM   #3
Steve_A
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Default Re: We will never work for the BBC again - actors and directors in Gaza protest

Hi Antaletriangle,

It seems that Auntie Beebis trying the old Switzerland neutrality trick, where in the case of Switzerland, it refused to let Jews pass its' frontier from Germany to a safe haven (however took gold deposits from a lot of teeth in the banks).

In the same way, Auntie Beeb is keeping the sights and sounds of a blatant illegal attack, using phosphorous weapons on a people who have nothing to do with a political argument from the screens of a nation that used to pride itself in 'doing the right thing' and 'fighting for the underdog'. It's really sad.

I think that Judith Robertson stepped on the ball a little. As a true Scot she stated that the most important thing was for the public to donate. Not true. The most important thing is that the people in Gaza get the help they need. How they get that help can manifest itself in various ways.

Are the UN still taking stuff in there? If not, how will the others manage to get in there to help? It's a bit like Barak Obama promising 'Change' but not explaining what he plans to do to make it happen.

Vote in me I'll make the Change.

Give me the money, I'll help the Palestinians.

Do you see the similarity?

Answering Anchors' question, in the case of Oxfam and Save the Children etc. around 70% of the money goes to 'administrative costs' and 30% actually goes directly to the object of your donation.

Personally I don't like to give to charities because of this. I help those people who are in need around me, normally someone I don't know. That way, I know that WIGIWTG (what I give is what they get) - not always money.

But as the thread starter is about the Beeb broadcasting the donations appeal, we should concentrate on that topic. I'm all in favour of refusing to pay the license fee and canceling the subscription of Sky for a few months. It's the only weapon the consumer has, to turn its' back on the service provider.

Best regards,

Steve

Quote:
Originally Posted by Antaletriangle View Post
Judith Robertson, who chairs DEC Scotland, has called for Scots to donate to the Gaza appeal: "Clearly, the DEC is disappointed that the BBC has decided not to broadcast the appeal film. However, what matters most is that the public make a donation."
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Old 01-27-2009, 12:21 PM   #4
Antaletriangle
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Default Re: We will never work for the BBC again - actors and directors in Gaza protest

Yeah BBC's olde standing values are now non-existent-what a Ho!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7853019.stm

More MPs pressure BBC to air film

The appeal is to raise money for emergency supplies in Gaza
More than 120 MPs from all parties have now backed motions criticising the BBC and Sky for not broadcasting a plea for humanitarian aid funding for Gaza.

The Disasters Emergency Committee's Gaza Crisis Appeal was screened on Monday by ITV, Channel 4 and Five.

The BBC's explanation that airing the film would threaten its impartiality was described in one of the motions as "unconvincing and incoherent".

Protests over the issue have taken place at BBC Broadcasting House.

Mr Burden tabled one Early Day Motion - used by MPs to demonstrate parliamentary support for particular causes - after Sky announced it was joining the BBC in refusing to show the appeal.

John Ryley, head of Sky News, said that broadcasting the film would be "incompatible" with its objective role.

PREVIOUS DEC REFUSALS
East Africa 2006: Famine appeal rejected by BBC because of difficulties of access
Lebanon 2006: BBC refused to air appeal for Israel-Hezbollah conflict victims on grounds of impartiality
Burma 2008: Appeal was only broadcast once BBC was satisfied aid would reach victims


Send your comments

This echoed BBC director general Mark Thompson's concern that the corporation should not give the impression it was "backing one side" over the other.

But Mr Burden said such arguments had been shown to be "more unconvincing and contradictory as time has gone on", claiming the BBC had broadcast appeals from other war zones.

Another motion calls on "Sky and the BBC to reverse their decision and broadcast the campaign, publicising the details of the DEC appeal and the means whereby members of the public may donate to it".

The corporation has come under fire from archbishops, government ministers, charity leaders and thousands of viewers.

Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza humanitarian appeal:
Launched by UK charities on 22 January to raise money for Gaza aid relief and reconstruction
Participants: Action Aid, British Red Cross, Cafod, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, World Vision
Information on 0370 60 60 900 or at DEC website


Mark Thompson on Gaza appeal
The humanitarian battle
BBC Gaza appeal row reaction

The Disasters Emergency Committee, which represents more than a dozen aid agencies, is appealing for money to buy food, medicine and blankets following the Israeli assault on Gaza.

A string of politicians, including International Secretary Douglas Alexander, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and opposition spokesmen, have urged the corporation to reconsider its position.

Their comments drew criticism from BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons who said some were "coming close to constituting undue interference in the editorial independence of the BBC".

The UN Relief and Works Agency, the largest humanitarian organisation working in Gaza, said there was a "huge and overwhelming need" for aid.

It described the situation as a "political crisis with grave humanitarian consequences" and estimated the cost of "rehabilitation and repair" at $345m (£257m), with two-thirds currently unfunded.
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