By, Jessica Weinstein
2 min read
ByJessica Weinstein, Jessica Weinstein
The BBC has criticised former director of television Danny Cohen for signing a letter opposing a cultural boycott of Israel.
The corporation said that it regretted the “impression” created by Mr Cohen’s name appearing on the letter but that it “had no bearing on his ability to do his day job”.
The letter , published in the Guardian in October, was signed by more than 150 writers, artists, musicians and media personalities including J K Rowling and Melvyn Bragg. It was a response to an earlier announcement by media personalities calling for a cultural boycott of Israel and described boycotting Israel as ‘a barrier to peace’.
Following a complaint to the BBC about Mr Cohen’s involvement, the BBC responded in a December email describing Mr Cohen’s actions as ‘inadvisable’. The email went on to say that senior employees “should avoid making their views known on issues of current political controversy”. However, no further action was taken as Mr Cohen, who announced that he was leaving the BBC the week before the letter was published, no longer worked for the corporation.
According to the Guardian, a follow-up email sent this month from BBC chief complaints adviser Dominic Groves said: “The BBC agrees that it was inadvisable for him to add his signature given his then seniority within the BBC as director of television but in practice it had no bearing on his ability to do his day to day job; a role which does not involve direct control over BBC news.”
Sara Apps, interim director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said the views in the letter opposing the boycott were “those of the Israeli state” and said that BBC staff should be “impartial and seen to be impartial, in their work at the BBC” .
She said: “By failing to take any action against Cohen, the BBC sent a message to licence fee payers that it only pays lip service to the concept of impartiality when it comes to the subject of Palestine and Israel, and that BBC executives are free to publicly express their views on this subject with no regard for the code of impartiality written into the royal charter.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Danny Cohen was expressing his view about his belief in the importance of creative freedom of expression.”
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, told the JC: “Sadly, we don’t expect much from the BBC given its lack of balance on issues concerning Israel. It was therefore thoroughly hypocritical to criticise its former director of television for allegedly not being impartial.
"Moreover, to talk of BDS as an issue of current political controversy is wrong. The bigotry against Israel, not repeated in relation to any other country in the world, is not a political but a moral issue, on which people should be free to speak their mind. Fortunately the boycotters are rejected by mainstream political parties and most sections of our society, so Danny Cohen was on the right side of the argument.”
Simon Johnson, CEO of the Jewish leadership Council, said: “By highlighting Danny Cohen’s signature and trying to undermine the Culture for Coexistence campaign, which is backed by over 120 leading figures from the worlds of art and culture, The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign continues to push its message of boycotts over coexistence.
"It is laughable to suggest that supporting the status quo and promoting creative expression somehow flies in the face of impartiality.”
