ACTION: Complain to BBC about their offensive and inaccurate description of the Nakba

We have made it easy for you! Simply follow our guide and template message!

This action follows BBC’s publishing of an article reporting on thousands commemorating 76 years since the Nakba began at a London demonstration. The BBC article fails to mention the undisputed number of violently expelled Palestinians during the Nakba: 750,000. It horrifically referred to the Palestinians who were expelled from their homes and made refugees during the Nakba as just “people”. Were they unknown, stateless people? These ‘people’ are Palestinians who have a historical homeland, and continue to be attached to and hold keys to the homes they were violently driven away from. BBC must apologise for and correct this offensive error as it creates a denationalising, misleading effect because it comes across that expelled Palestinians had no ethnic or national identity. Complain to the BBC now by following the steps below:

INSTRUCTIONS / STEPS:

  • “Select the category which best describes the complaint”: select “factual error or inaccuracy”. 
  • Then write the subject of the complaint yourself. This is so that their systems do not detect the exact same complaint coming in. Word it along the lines of, but not matching to: “Offence & inaccuracy when defining ‘Nakba’”
  • After this, copy and paste the template message (below). Feel free to modify your copy so it does not exactly match the template. (*if you have more time, then please change your copy of our template or write your own with the necessary information about violation of policies just so the BBC don’t ignore the many same complaints as spam. Ensure the 2000 character limit is kept in mind.)
  • Then click  ‘yes when asked if you would like a response to the complaint, and click continue.
  • On the next page you will have to fill in personal details. Use other names you may have or initials and avoid using exact addresses. 
  • At the very end, ensure you verify your submission within the same hour by clicking the link BBC will email you so that it counts.

TEMPLATE MESSAGE: 

In an article reporting on thousands of protesters in London commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Nakba (the mass forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of native Palestinians from historical Palestinian lands prior to, during and after the establishment of the State of Israel) BBC inaccurately defined the Nakba as “the mass displacement of people after the creation of Israel in 1948.”

The fundamental issue is that BBC referred to the over 750,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their homes and made refugees during the Nakba as just “people”. Were they unknown, stateless people? These ‘people’ are Palestinians who have a historical homeland, and continue to be attached to and hold keys to the homes they were violently driven away from. BBC must apologise and correct this inaccurate, offensive error because it creates a denationalising, alienating effect as it comes across that expelled Palestinians had no ethnic or national identity. Furthermore, BBC’s failure to mention who perpetrated this mass displacement suggests the Nakba happened by itself. Why does BBC fail to mention who displaced Palestininas when it’s clear that zionist militias did it? Alongside this, leaving out the undisputed figure of 750,000 expelled Palestinians dismisses the severity of the Nakba and ultimately amounts to poor, inaccurate reporting.

Additionally, there is a firm fact known to every Palestinian: the Nakba did not start, or end, in 1948. It is wholly inaccurate for BBC to report that the Nakba happened ‘after’ Israel’s establishment, because it started even before 1947, as groups like the Haganah undertook the violent rampage of Palestinian towns and villages to forcibly expel Palestinians. It is also undisputed that the Nakba is ongoing, as Palestinians till today are being expelled from their homes and made refugees – which is exactly why the numbers of illegal Israeli settlements and displacement of Palestinians are increasing. This inaccuracy must be corrected.

______________________

Please share this, but avoid sharing on platforms or groups where zionist presence is large.

Please also subscribe to our page using the button in the bottom right corner of this page, so that you can receive an email notification when we release campaigns like this and you don’t miss the opportunity to hold bias, anti-Palestinian, genocide-supporting media outlets like BBC accountable.

We appreciate that you may not approve fully of our template – that’s okay! Feel free to adjust it. We’re simply doing the best we can, and we would love feedback so don’t hesitate to email us at thepalestineobserver@gmail.com.

Template written by: Hassan (TPO).