Mick Hartley

Neatly combining two of today's posts – on the Phoenix Cinema showing that Israeli film, and the BBC's institutional bias against Israel – this from the Telegraph:

The BBC has come under fire for describing a pro-Palestine protest outside a London cinema showing a film about the Oct 7 attacks as a “vigil”.

A demonstration was held at the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, north London, in response to the screening of a film about Hamas’s assault on Israel last year.

Supernova was being shown as part of the Seret International Film Festival, but activists vandalised one of London’s oldest cinemas after writing “say no to artwashing” in red paint on the front of the building….

A BBC London report on the events stated: “Pro-Israel supporters celebrated tonight after chasing away pro-Palestinian protesters who were holding a vigil outside the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley.”

Footage showed a crowd of Israel supporters holding flags and signs while cheering and dancing.

The broadcast was met with criticism online from those who said the BBC had shown “horrendous bias” in its coverage.

Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, told The Telegraph: “For the BBC to describe this pro-Palestinian protest as a ‘vigil’ is utterly sickening.

“The protest aimed to disrupt and delay the screening of a documentary about a massacre of innocent young people at a music festival. The BBC’s anti-Israel bias is more and more evident with every day that passes.”

Nicole Lampert, a journalist, wrote: “Could BBC News have got this more wrong? Every day I am more and more furious about their horrendous bias.

“Pro-Palestine supporters weren’t trying to hold a ‘vigil’.

“They were trying to stop people seeing a film about the massacre of the Nova festival. They had earlier daubed the cinema in blood-red paint and called the documentary ‘artwashing’.

“Jews and allies showed them enough is enough: we are mourning but our spirit and love of life cannot be dimmed.”

Laura Cellier, who hosts Middle East Now on the Tel Aviv-based television channel i24News, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “A vigil? They came to intimidate people. They were trying to stop people from seeing a film about Hamas atrocities. What is wrong with the BBC?”

A message distributed to the activists before the demonstration, that was also posted online, referred to the screening as “artwashing” and said: “Join us outside Phoenix cinema in protest of the Israeli Government-sponsored film festival, Seret.

“Bring noise. Drums, bells, pots and pans, whistles, rice bottles.”

A vigil, but not as we know it.

[Rice bottles?]