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“Death on the Med” Protest at Bristol BBC

Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign | 24.08.2010 20:22

PRESS REPORT for Saturday 21st August 2010
Palestine campaigners protested outside the BBC in Bristol on Saturday 21st August. They chanted and booed the BBC building, waved flags, and leafleted passers-by. The group also staged a “street-theatre” re-enactment of the deaths of the nine Turkish aid-workers onboard the Mavi Marmara. The protest lasted over two hours and was very visible to pedestrians, shoppers, and passing traffic.
Palestine campaigners in Bristol are appalled at the BBC “Death on the Med” Panorama broadcast last Monday (16th August). They accuse the BBC of “blatant bias”. The program is severely at odds with the eye-witness reports of the two Bristolians on-board the aid ship, the Mavi Marmara. They are particularly shocked the program used Israeli film footage purporting to be of the Mavi Marmara which has already been shown to be fake and was a training exercise on a different ship.

The protest was organised by the Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.bristolpsc.info.

A spokesperson said “We condemn the BBC for their blatant bias in this Panorama program. They are trying to sway public opinion regarding the brutal attack on the Gaza aid flotilla and ahead of the UN report expected in September. Fifty or more people were injured on the Mavi Marmara and a further nine killed. Many suffered multiple gunshot wounds, some through the back of the head. This was carnage. We won’t let the BBC get away with a cover-up."

Campaigners ask supporters to register official complaints with the BBC. Furthermore they urge people to take the matter up with their MPs. They also suggest withholding their BBC license fee in protest. The action follows similar protests when the BBC refused to broadcast the DEC appeal for Gaza last year.

See videos at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQUxIsLyNMU

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRoHS4yEXSA

Only a week ago the same group was protesting outside the main Waitrose supermarket in Bristol against the sale of Israeli products see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpNVzgZx0bc&feature=related

Protests also took place around the UK including London, Newcastle, and Glasgow


Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Original article on IMC Bristol: http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/693245