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Pro-Palestine protesters accuse BBC editor of ‘killing babies’ at London demonstration
Raffi Berg has previously received death threats from activists accusing him of pro-Israel bias in his reporting
January 24, 2025 17:16
1 min read
Raffi Berg has previously received death threats from activists accusing him of pro-Israel bias in his reporting
January 24, 2025 17:16A BBC editor was accused of “killing babies” by pro-Palestine protestors outside the broadcaster’s London headquarters in a demonstration on Thursday evening.
Raffi Berg, the corporation’s Middle East online editor, was also accused by the crowd of supporting genocide.
“Raffi Berg shame shame, all this lying in your name,” shouted demonstrators, according to the Jewish News. “Killing children in your name. Killing babies in your name. BBC shame shame.”
In another chant, the JC understands that demonstrators shouted: “Raffi Berg, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide.”
Demonstrators gathered to rally against what they perceive as the broadcaster’s pro-Israel bias in its coverage of the war between the Jewish state and Hamas.
It comes after Berg has been on the receiving end of dozens of death threats after journalist Owen Jones published an article on Drop Site accusing him of pushing pro-Israel bias at the BBC.
Berg is now intending to sue Jones for the torrent of antisemitic abuse which followed his accusation.
The JC understands that no arrests were made at the demonstration, but police were in attendance.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who represents Berg’s constituency of Harrow East, told the JC: “The attempt to single him out, given that what he's doing is obviously giving an honest opinion and providing honest material, is a gross violation of his rights.
“We want the BBC to be impartial in how it reports things, [and] many Jewish people in my constituency would say that the BBC is profoundly biased against the State of Israel.”
Blackman confirmed that since Jones’ article, Berg has “been on the receiving end of antisemitic abuse”, which he has been supporting his constituent through.
Regarding the chants about Berg at yesterday’s protest, Blackman called the event an “escalation” and promised he would be “calling it out”.
When asked whether the police present should have done more to stop the chants, Blackman told the JC that he has previously complained to the Met “that sometimes it appears that no action is being taken”.
He said the police claim to “film” incidents and then later decide what should happen to perpetrators, a process which he thinks is ineffective.
“In my view, what they should be doing is arresting them and then interviewing them under caution. Because it is grossly unfair that people — whether it's outside the BBC or in public areas — are subjected to this abuse.”
The JC contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.