B’nai B’rith UK

B'nai B'rith UK notes the resignations of Director General Tim Davie and Deborah Turness, the head of BBC News, in light of the fallout from the Prescott report. The report highlights the systemic bias and agenda driven nature of much BBC journalism on many issues, including its coverage of the Middle East. It shows how BBC Arabic sought to downplay Israeli suffering after October 7 by using reporters sympathetic to Hamas and how BBC News refused to contextualise Israeli actions in the war. These damning revelations merely compound a litany of failures that have caused deep anguish for the UK Jewish community. The BBC refused to call Hamas a terror organisation, livestreamed an incendiary chant from Bob Vylan at Glastonbury and produced a documentary featuring the son of a Hamas minister. These resignations must be the start of a process in which the prevailing cultural orthodoxy on issues related to Jews, Zionism and Israel is challenged from within. Only then can the BBC regain the trust of the Jewish community, and the British public as a whole.

B’nai B’rith UK is appalled by the decision of Birmingham City Council's Safety Advisory Group, as recommended by the West Midlands Police, to ban the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending the November 6 Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham. This has been done for on the grounds that it is ‘high risk’ and that the safety of travelling Israeli fans may be compromised. Yet it is an egregious decision to ban or discriminate against the victims of prejudice, something that completely violates all standard protocols of anti-racism. Worse, it appears that the authorities have simply capitulated to a campaign of extremism from local figures. Iqbal Mohamed MP, in a statement on X, welcomed the ban as it would stop “Israeli hooligans and terrorists” from being able to “run riot in our country”. In a chilling threat, Muslim imam Asrar Rashid declared in a video that, “We will show no mercy toward Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who will arrive in several weeks for the match against Aston Villa.” These words are inflammatory and represent a clear form of incitement. If there are genuine safety concerns, the police could increase their presence or, in the worst case scenario, the match itself could be relocated. To prevent Israeli fans from travelling to the game sends out a clear message that they are not welcome in the United Kingdom.  Given the rampant levels of antisemitism we have witnessed recently, this would also further alienate British Jews, still reeling from the murderous Yom Kippur attack in Manchester on 2nd October. It is now essential that this ban is reversed and the Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police held to account for this divisive and poorly judged decision