Campaigners for Palestinian human rights in the West Midlands have called a "die-in" on the steps of the BBC at the Mailbox in Birmingham on Thursday evening, to protest against its biased reporting on the recent Israeli assault on Gaza.

Activists will read out the names of Palestinian civilians who have been killed in the bombings over the past week and a group of children will hand in a protest letter to the BBC management along with a portfolio of evidence that the BBC's coverage is biased towards the Israeli government and is not reporting the facts.

Brian Sheridan, Secretary of West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign (WM PSC), said: "We want to make the public aware that since hostilities began this month there have been 162 Palestinians killed and 5 Israelis; and that from January 2012 to November 2012, 78 Palestinians were killed by Israeli rockets with only 1 Israeli killed.

"The BBC's coverage of events in Gaza is a grotesque inversion of reality. Palestinians have the right to defend themselves.This war was started to allow Israel to test its new missile defence system, and unconditional support from Britain and the US allows Israel to continue to act with impunity.

"As well as mourning the deaths of all the civilians killed in this conflict we mourn the death of the BBC as an icon of investigative journalism."

Naeem Malik, Chair of WM PSC, said:

"I am amazed at the BBC coverage of the attack on Gaza.The BBC needs to know that it is all about the occupation, the siege, the house demolitions, the checkpoints and the continuous humiliation of the Palestinians for the last six decades and more. It has nothing to do with the rockets - they are only a response to the decades of oppression by the Israeli state and the abysmal response from the so-called international community.

"I was shocked and angry at how Jeremy Bowen on the BBC News minimised the carnage by suggesting that Gaza has a culture of martyrdom. It reflects the stereotype that Israel wants to portray.It is racism in the extreme."

The "Die-in" will be held from6pm to 7pm on Thursday 22nd November at the Mailbox.

WM PSC has also organised coaches to take protesters to London on Saturday for the national PSC demonstration for Gaza.


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*Notes for editors:*

1.The source for the list of casualties to be read out is here: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=538489

Another reliable source of statistics:

 http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2012/11/israel-and-palestinians?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/gaza_abacus

2.Contacts for further information:

*WM PSC:*

Brian Sheridan 0784 516  7243pscwm@yahoo.co.uk

Chris Khamis0778 534  2124chris@csk-strategies.co.uk

Naeem Malik0772 142  7690nmalik50@yahoo.com

*University of Birmingham Students for Justice in Palestine:*

April Reilly0798 072  0619unefillesansfrontieres@riseup.net

3.WM PSC website: http://www.westmidspsc.org/

UoB Students for Justice in Palestine Facebook page:

 http://www.facebook.com/groups/25314630632/