The BBC has sparked outrage after its staff were urged to wear Palestinian colours and a keffiyeh for a “workplace day of action” for Palestine.
The action day – which is set for tomorrow – has been organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to demand a ceasefire, the release of hostages, as well as the overall end of violence in Gaza.
The TUC has urged individuals to “wear something red, green, black or a Palestinian keffiyeh to visibly show solidarity”.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) echoed the TUC’s call to action, condemning Israel’s attacks which are reported to have killed 135 Palestinian journalists since the October 7 attacks.
In a statement, it said: “The NUJ is urging branches and chapels to show support on the day and amplify the union’s calls.”
However, these calls have caused concern amongst Jewish BBC colleagues, who claimed that the action would infringe the corporation’s impartiality guidelines, as well as offending other staff members.
One journalist said that they had rethought their union membership after the “hypocritical and antisemitic” move.
“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 told The Times.
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They added: “It is also a shocking attack on Jews. Where is the day of action to support the journalists being killed by their own governments across the Middle East, including by Hamas?
“Where is the NUJ support for Russian journalists that are being held behind bars on trumped up charges by Putin’s regime, those dying or working in perilous conditions in Ukraine?”
Another staff member said that they were “dreading the thought of walking past anyone protesting at work”.
Meanwhile, journalist Charlotte Henry has revoked her membership after it imposed the workplace day of action, saying that it “has become a hostile environment for Jews, and I can no longer be a part of that.”