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+--- Thread: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours (/showthread.php?tid=292207)
BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - SteveG - 11-29-2024
BBC
BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours
National Union of Journalists and Trades Union Congress ask members to wear keffiyehs in the workplace
By Jenni Frazer November 27, 2024, 2:45 pm
https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/bbc-staff-quit-journalists-union-after-being-told-to-dress-in-palestinian-colours/
The National Union of Journalists has confirmed to Jewish News that BBC journalists have resigned from the union after it distributed directives from the TUC urging workers to dress in Palestinian colours, or wear a keffiyeh, as part of a Day of Action for Palestine.
The TUC has called for a permanent ceasefire, the cessation of violence in Gaza and release of all hostages. But in recommending Palestinian dress as part of the event, due to take place on Thursday 28 November, some NUJ members at the BBC feel their union has crossed a line.
One BBC staffer said the suggestion was a clear breach of the BBC’s commitment to impartial reporting, telling The Times: “BBC journalists, who pride themselves on impartiality and who fought to keep their NUJ free of politics, are being encouraged to break the BBC’s editorial guidelines by supporting a political cause”. They added that they were reconsidering their NUJ membership after the “hypocritical and antisemitic” action.
Jewish staffers at the BBC say that Nigel Lewis, the broadcaster’s director of HR, has been alerted to the situation and raised it with HR leads across the Corporation. BBC Security has also been made aware of potential flashpoint situations. created by the wearing of Palestinian flag colours or headscarves.
In a message to NUJ members, the journalists’ union now says that “clearly members working across the BBC and in public service broadcasting have important duties in relation to impartiality and work within social media guidelines the NUJ would not wish members to breach”.
Just as clearly, the union has been alarmed by the response and the resignations. Jewish chat groups speculate there might be at least a dozen more people handing in their NUJ membership cards.
Charlotte Henry, a freelance journalist who has also resigned, wrote on her newsletter, The Addition, that the union had become “a hostile environment for Jews, and I can no longer be part of that”.
The TUC was unable to say whether it had ever previously asked workers to wear the national colours of one side or another in a conflict. It did confirm, however, that it has never asked members to wear Ukraine coloured clothing during the country’s conflict with Russia.
As far as the Palestinian cause goes, however, the TUC is not simply asking participants to “wear something red, green, black or a Palestinian keffiyeh” to their workplace, but “visibly show solidarity” by posting pictures of themselves in such clothing on social media.
The Board of Deputies issued a strongly-worded statement accusing the trade unions of “playing student politics on a conflict on whose facts they appear to be plainly ignorant”, rather than following their core mission of protecting workers.
The statement added: “Whatever the stated intent, attempts to bring this issue into the workplace in such a fashion will undoubtedly add to the belligerent atmosphere which many Jewish staff have been facing.”
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - special - 11-29-2024
The TUC has called for a permanent ceasefire, the cessation of violence in Gaza and release of all hostages.
I assume you agree with this, right?
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - Tiangou - 11-29-2024
Notably, the protest was spurred by the deaths of 135 Palestinian journalists in the Israeli government's response to the October 7th attack, and the "solidarity" that they referred to when the organization requested a show of colors was explicitly solidarity with the free press in Gaza and was not an expression of sympathy for Hamas.
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - gabester - 11-29-2024
Feels like a nothingburger to me.
People are getting in a tizzy about being asked to dress to show support... but the insanity of a criminal leader engaging in ongoing militancy engendered as a response due to his own inaction in taking a threat from his "genocidal" enemy seriously that has resulted in harms predominantly to a civilian population caught in the crossfire, that part's OK?
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - SteveG - 11-29-2024
what, no links?
Tiangou wrote:
Notably, the protest was spurred by the deaths of 135 Palestinian journalists in the Israeli government's response to the October 7th attack, and the "solidarity" that they referred to when the organization requested a show of colors was explicitly solidarity with the free press in Gaza and was not an expression of sympathy for Hamas.
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - SteveG - 11-29-2024
gabester wrote:
Feels like a nothingburger to me.
People are getting in a tizzy about being asked to dress to show support... but the insanity of a criminal leader engaging in ongoing militancy engendered as a response due to his own inaction in taking a threat from his "genocidal" enemy seriously that has resulted in harms predominantly to a civilian population caught in the crossfire, that part's OK?
So you agree that their support (by inaction) of Putin's Ukraine mass death enterprise is 'not so bad'?
"The TUC was unable to say whether it had ever previously asked workers to wear the national colours of one side or another in a conflict. It did confirm, however, that it has never asked members to wear Ukraine coloured clothing during the country’s conflict with Russia."
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - Tiangou - 11-29-2024
Steve G. wrote:
what, no links?
https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/palestine-tuc-workplace-day-of-action.html
The TUC is holding a day of action on 28 November, as part of its ongoing campaign calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The International Federation of Journalists' records show at least 136 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 7 October 2023.
Since the outset of the conflict the NUJ has repeatedly condemned the appalling actions of Hamas and called for immediate returns of all hostages. The union has condemned the rising death toll and impact on the Palestinian population, and repeatedly highlighted how the Israeli government’s actions have led to a disproportionately high death toll amongst journalists...
The NUJ backs global calls from journalists’ unions and the IFJ for an independent investigation into all killings and attacks on journalists and repeats its call for an immediate cessation of all violence, a lasting ceasefire and stepped up efforts by the international community to achieve a sustainable peace in the region.
NUJ members can show support for the TUC’s call by discussing appropriate ways in their chapels and branches to show support.
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - gabester - 11-29-2024
Steve G. wrote:
So you agree that their support (by inaction) of Putin's Ukraine mass death enterprise is 'not so bad'?
"The TUC... has never asked members to wear Ukraine coloured clothing during the country’s conflict with Russia."
Last time I checked, wearing clothes as speech was not an action that is actually louder than words.
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - SteveG - 11-29-2024
gabester wrote:
[quote=Steve G.]
So you agree that their support (by inaction) of Putin's Ukraine mass death enterprise is 'not so bad'?
"The TUC... has never asked members to wear Ukraine coloured clothing during the country’s conflict with Russia."
Last time I checked, wearing clothes as speech was not an action that is actually louder than words.
You are trying to deflect from the very visible support of anti-Israel hate from the members of a news organization.
Re: BBC staff quit journalists’ union after being told to dress in Palestinian colours - special - 11-29-2024
So let me see if I get this right:
as part of a Day of Action for Palestine.
Any form of support for Palestine automatically implies they hate Israel. Got it.
The TUC has called for a permanent ceasefire, the cessation of violence in Gaza and release of all hostages.
You want the release of ALL HOSTAGES. I know that. How do you feel about the ceasefire and cessation of violence in Gaza?
One BBC staffer said the suggestion was a clear breach of the BBC’s commitment to impartial reporting,
What? Impartial reporting? I am SHOCKED.
Jewish chat groups speculate there might be at least a dozen more people handing in their NUJ membership cards.
I see, so the jewish Chat Groups speculating is now news and facts. Good to know.
the union had become “a hostile environment for Jews, and I can no longer be part of that”.
This is not right, no one should have to work/live in a hostile environment. not the Jews anywhere, not the Arabs in Gaza or West Bank.
It did confirm, however, that it has never asked members to wear Ukraine coloured clothing during the country’s conflict with Russia.
Too bad. I wonder why? I wear several T-Shirts with Ukrainian colors to show my support.
The statement added: “Whatever the stated intent, attempts to bring this issue into the workplace in such a fashion will undoubtedly add to the belligerent atmosphere which many Jewish staff have been facing.”
How about the Arab staff they have? does anyone care how they feel when they see their loved ones being killed in Gaza?
And of course, the Oct 7 attack was horrific and should have never happened.