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Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Monday, 28 September 2009
Bectu Union supports members refusing to work if/when BNP are on Question Time
free speech? why Nazi Nick Griffin should not be allowed on question time and protest date
Dear Everyone
Unite Against Fascism is not the only organisation which believes that the Nazis should not be allowed to appear on the BBCs flagship political discussion programme, Question time. The TV technicians' union has attacked the BBC's decision to invite BNP leader Nick Griffin on to Question Time and pledged to join a demonstration against the recording of the programme.
THE PROTEST WILL BE ON 22ND OCTOBER LATE AFTERNOON IN LONDON—DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED BUT BOOK TIME OFF NOW TO COME ALONG IF YOU CAN GET TO LONDON
Bectu said it would support any of its members who refused to work on the programme, which will be transmitted on October 22.General secretary Gerry Morrissey said: "We believe there should be no media coverage of the BNP and I have raised this issue with the director general, Mark Thompson.
"He said they have been invited on to the programme because they have won elections, but we strongly disagree.
"We will be arranging a demonstration and lobby outside the Question Time studios and we will be working with anti-fascist groups to ensure there is a significant turn out."
We know that it sounds bad to say we want to stop the views of someone from being aired--but you have to ask yourself are Nazis the same as others with whom you disagree? And the answer is no. they are not just people with offensive views. They are Nazis. And Nazis engage in mass murder when they get power. They also shut down every kind of democratic organisation in civil society.
The argument that they must be allowed to be on TV to expose them is mistaken for two reasons
Firstly: it is not necessary to have Hitler to speak in order to expose his views. Therefore it is not necessary for Nick Griffin and the Nazi BNP to be given air time on the state TV to expose them. We already know they are racist and fascist
Secondly: like Hitler, Griffin intends to use the platforms afforded in a democratic society to hide his true nature until it is too late. He won't be exposed on the BBC. He will wear a suit and lie. he will use parliament and the BBC and legal methods , distancing himself from the thugs who commit racist attacks up to the point when he feels strong enough, as Hitler did, to smash all of that and emerge as a dictator.
By then it will be too late.
Even now, when Nazis speak people die because the thugs gain confidence. Racist attacks increased when the BNP organised in east London and had their bookshop in south London. Stephen Lawrence died during a spate of racist attacks and he died not far from the BNP bookshop--his alleged killers later being found to read the BNP paper. David Copeland the nail bomber in London was a BNP security force member.
So.. nazis alone should not be given a platform--the muder of 6 million jews is not a matter for polite debate. if you wouldnt tolerate Hitler on the beeb.. LETS STOP NAZI NICK from getting the space to organise murder
Elane Heffernan
Cause Creator
Dear Everyone
Unite Against Fascism is not the only organisation which believes that the Nazis should not be allowed to appear on the BBCs flagship political discussion programme, Question time. The TV technicians' union has attacked the BBC's decision to invite BNP leader Nick Griffin on to Question Time and pledged to join a demonstration against the recording of the programme.
THE PROTEST WILL BE ON 22ND OCTOBER LATE AFTERNOON IN LONDON—DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED BUT BOOK TIME OFF NOW TO COME ALONG IF YOU CAN GET TO LONDON
Bectu said it would support any of its members who refused to work on the programme, which will be transmitted on October 22.General secretary Gerry Morrissey said: "We believe there should be no media coverage of the BNP and I have raised this issue with the director general, Mark Thompson.
"He said they have been invited on to the programme because they have won elections, but we strongly disagree.
"We will be arranging a demonstration and lobby outside the Question Time studios and we will be working with anti-fascist groups to ensure there is a significant turn out."
We know that it sounds bad to say we want to stop the views of someone from being aired--but you have to ask yourself are Nazis the same as others with whom you disagree? And the answer is no. they are not just people with offensive views. They are Nazis. And Nazis engage in mass murder when they get power. They also shut down every kind of democratic organisation in civil society.
The argument that they must be allowed to be on TV to expose them is mistaken for two reasons
Firstly: it is not necessary to have Hitler to speak in order to expose his views. Therefore it is not necessary for Nick Griffin and the Nazi BNP to be given air time on the state TV to expose them. We already know they are racist and fascist
Secondly: like Hitler, Griffin intends to use the platforms afforded in a democratic society to hide his true nature until it is too late. He won't be exposed on the BBC. He will wear a suit and lie. he will use parliament and the BBC and legal methods , distancing himself from the thugs who commit racist attacks up to the point when he feels strong enough, as Hitler did, to smash all of that and emerge as a dictator.
By then it will be too late.
Even now, when Nazis speak people die because the thugs gain confidence. Racist attacks increased when the BNP organised in east London and had their bookshop in south London. Stephen Lawrence died during a spate of racist attacks and he died not far from the BNP bookshop--his alleged killers later being found to read the BNP paper. David Copeland the nail bomber in London was a BNP security force member.
So.. nazis alone should not be given a platform--the muder of 6 million jews is not a matter for polite debate. if you wouldnt tolerate Hitler on the beeb.. LETS STOP NAZI NICK from getting the space to organise murder
Elane Heffernan
Cause Creator
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Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Occupation in BBC HQ update
Yesterday i was going somewhere by tube and was shocked to see we were in ALL the free papers and the Evening Standard. And, the reporting was favourable to say the least! They evenn OVER reported the number of people doing the occupation!! And it was even weirder to see it actually in print rather than these online links.
Evening Standard
Our picture was also used in the New Statesman, but no reference to who it is and the oline version does not have the pic!!
Our picture was also used in the New Statesman, but no reference to who it is and the oline version does not have the pic!!
Hang on a sec...i'll find more links.
Well, as usual, i have been distracted by a brand new shiny article about anti-anti-feminism. See post above in a bit...
So, here's simply the link to my previous post.
Please email me or post below any further links you find.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
We occupied the BBC on Portland place today in protest at the BBC's disgraceful decision to not show the DEC appeal....
A short clip on NEWSNIGHT! Go to minute 1.02 or so. I should be receiving more videos and photo's from the outside soon.
We received 2 texts within 3 or 4 minutes of being ejected by people who had seen us on BBC News 24 being kicked out.
But, it's the small things that i find interesting: Once we had finished and a few of us were waiting for my radio slot, a well dressed woman was absent mindedly walking past us, she tripped over the barriers and she shot us an angry look. I thought she was going to shout at us: BLOODY BBC she said and waved her fingers in a 'peace' sign and smiled. She clearly knew why we were there.
Another snippet that made me smile was at a Chinese/Singaporean cafe right opposite the Israeli Embassy. We asked the guy who served us if the protests were bad for business. Absolutely, he said, but it's for a very good cause. We made sure to go back there as often as we could. Serving some of the best food I have ever eaten (and, being in catering for many years I'm very fussy!) at only £4-5 or so a meal i encourage you all to go there and support this small friendly family place: they've had to endure weeks of angry protesters blocking the street outside his place. And the spicy Tiger prawns are to die for.
Found another short video so far. typically, it shows us at our smallest and quietest but hey, it's better than nothing. Does anyone know who to 'embed' it?
Article in Indymedia with loads of great photo's by Guy Smallmans.
The trouble with being a 'citizenjournalist' and wanting to involved in the action is that it's hard to record what you're doing when you have your arms locked to someone else's!
More on this soon...
Called within just a few hours and hardly built at all, about 50 or 60 protesters turned up to BBC on Portland place to protest about the disgraceful decision not to air the DEC appeal.
We got there a bit early and decided to storm the entrance leaving the police behind. We immediately sat down, linked arms and started chanting. We had a lot of support from BBC staff entering the building (i hope they can pull of a strike over this) by sort-of sneaky thumbs up when no-one was looking. Loads of press turned up, AP, Morning star and loads of others-I'm just waiting for the reports to stream in!! Please let me know if you see any of them....a comment below is fine.
I was invited onto BBC World Service and had to deal with an idiot Zionist who tried, somehow, to tie in Iran and their supposed nuclear weapons!!
They, the BBC, said: (italics my own-there is a definite case of contradictory consciousness/reporting here)
Around 20 (i would say there was 12 of us inside!!) campaigners from the Stop the War Coalition (SOAS StW society) walked (actually we stormed) into the lobby of the central London building with a large banner proclaiming Hands off Gaza (the only banner we could find!).
They were removed by police before continuing a (fairly) noisy protest outside, during which some of them set fire to their television licences
But, it's the small things that i find interesting: Once we had finished and a few of us were waiting for my radio slot, a well dressed woman was absent mindedly walking past us, she tripped over the barriers and she shot us an angry look. I thought she was going to shout at us: BLOODY BBC she said and waved her fingers in a 'peace' sign and smiled. She clearly knew why we were there.
Another snippet that made me smile was at a Chinese/Singaporean cafe right opposite the Israeli Embassy. We asked the guy who served us if the protests were bad for business. Absolutely, he said, but it's for a very good cause. We made sure to go back there as often as we could. Serving some of the best food I have ever eaten (and, being in catering for many years I'm very fussy!) at only £4-5 or so a meal i encourage you all to go there and support this small friendly family place: they've had to endure weeks of angry protesters blocking the street outside his place. And the spicy Tiger prawns are to die for.
Monday, 26 January 2009
BBC feels the pressure as MPs, celebrites, and thousands of citizens condemn Gaza Appeal decision
 Complain about BBC decision >>Donate to DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal >>Tony Benn, many MPs and celebrities and thousands of concerned citizens today delivered a letter to the BBC at Broadcasting House The letter addressed to the BBC Chairman, Director General and Chief Operating Director urges the BBC to reverse what government Health Minister Ben Bradshaw calls its “inexplicable decision” to refuse a broadcast for an emergency appeal to raise desperately needed aid for Gaza. Tony Benn, President of Stop the War, said, “To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible. I appeal to the chairman of the BBC Trust to intervene to reverse this decision to save the lives of those who are now in acute danger of dying through a lack of food, fuel, water and medical supplies." |
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Scottish Stop the War occupation of BBC Headquarters in glasgow
BBC occupation 25.01.2009, originally uploaded by Duncan Brown.
Over 150 supporters of Stop the War Coalition and Palestinian solidarity groups occupied the BBC's headquaters in Glasgow on Sunday evening.
The protesters say they will not end their occupation until the BBC reverses its decision to block an emergency humanitarian aid appeal for Gaza. They are demanding to meet with a senior representative of the BBC.
The following should be read alongside this article:
» Eyewitness report: Israel is guilty of war crimes
» Gordon Brown gives Israel a licence to kill
» Israel’s bloody war fails to achieve aims
» Beirut conference calls for solidarity with Palestine
» A revival of student militancy over Gaza
» Activists take to the streets against the slaughter in Gaza
» Councillors condemn Israeli terror
» London demo targets Israeli embassy
» Mass march in Middlesbrough
» Gaza protests continue around Britain
» Pictures of Gaza protests around Britain (1)
» Pictures of Gaza protests around Britain (2)
» Pictures of Gaza protests around Britain (3)
» Student occupations in solidarity with Gaza spread around Britain
» Outrage as BBC blocks charity appeal for Gaza
» email article | » comment on article | » printable version
© Copyright Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original and leave this notice in place.
If you found this article useful please help us maintain SW by» making a donation.
Protest For Gaza, Against BBC Charity Broadcast refusal. Shame on the BBC who reported 'hundreds' protesting!
Even the police and SKY reported that there were 'thousands'.
The BBC have also lied saying that:
Watch the video to see who you believe.
The BBC have also lied saying that:
ITV and Sky have also said they will not show the appeal, with an ITV spokesman saying that no consensus could be reached.
Saturday, 24 January 2009
BBC deny Gaza fundraising appeal in order “to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC’s impartiality'
If you watch BBC at all I'm am sure at times you have come across appeals made by Disaster Emergency committee appeals. They fundraise on behalf of 12 charities and BBC in the past has give peak free air time for DEC to make appeals.
The effects of these appeals are amazing (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/313248.stm) they have been succesful and their appeals generally get brilliant response.
Today I was informed that BBC has broken the 45 year old contract with DEC and will NOT allow them to air for GAZA appeal. This is an outrage! please write to them immediately ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/) or call them on 03700 100 222.
PLEASE COME TO THE PRTOTEST OUTSIDE THE BBC BROADCASTING HOUSE ON PORTABELLO ROAD 24TH JAN 2PM.
Dear Sir or Madam,
It has been brought to my attention that BBC has denied Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal; free broadcasting time to fundraise for Gaza. I am appalled and frankly disgusted by this decision. It has shocked me to the core that BBC has no human values left at all. With biased pro-Israeli broadcasting that you have shoved in our faces during the conflict, you are now denying 1.5 million Gazans of their chance to rebuild their lives.
May I remind you, which you have clearly forgotten, that like many others who have been complaining, I am too a BBC licence payer, and demand to know the REAL reason that you have denied DEC it’s free broadcasting time to raise money for Gaza.
I have read that DEC’s appeal has been denied by BBC in order “to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC’s impartiality in the context of an ongoing news story’ is frankly absurd and meaningless. You have for forty-five years had an agreement with DEC and in the past have aired many appeals (Zimbabwe, tsunami etc.) Now you are breaking this contract because BBC apparently gets to decide who is human and who is worth getting this aid. Frankly, that is NOT for BBC to decide. You claim that you will continue to report on the humanitarian aspects in Gaza, but your reporting has questioned the pro-Israeli stand you have already taken.
BBC are contradicting themselves, by taking this stand it makes it superbly clear that you are supporting Israel and your ‘impartiality’ has already been questioned and is on the verge of deteriorating.
It has become common knowledge that pregnant women giving births during the massacre have not been able gain post pregnancy treatments till this day. Children who have lost limbs or survived close range shootings are sitting in hospitals with infections due medication depletion, families have been torn apart, livelihoods snatched. There is need for immediate medical aid, water, housing and long term aid is further needed and you are concerned with ‘risk’ of compromising public confidence? And so I am dismayed and wonder at what kind of people work at BBC? Obviously they themselves have not been brought up with basic human values.
I will advise you that before you loose all credibility, that BBC needs to reinstate DEC its free fundraising broadcasting time immediately and start to respond to the REAL humanitarian appeal for Gazans. It may come as a surprise to you but the people of Gaza are actually human beings who have been denied nearly every basic human rights by Israel, have been victims of horrendous war crimes committed by Israel and are still suffering from the consequences of the three week massacre.
I demand as a BBC licence payer for you to broadcast DEC’s appeal immediately and to take full responsibility for this cold and callous decision made.
Awaiting your reply
The effects of these appeals are amazing (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/313248.stm) they have been succesful and their appeals generally get brilliant response.
Today I was informed that BBC has broken the 45 year old contract with DEC and will NOT allow them to air for GAZA appeal. This is an outrage! please write to them immediately ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/) or call them on 03700 100 222.
PLEASE COME TO THE PRTOTEST OUTSIDE THE BBC BROADCASTING HOUSE ON PORTABELLO ROAD 24TH JAN 2PM.
Dear Sir or Madam,
It has been brought to my attention that BBC has denied Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Appeal; free broadcasting time to fundraise for Gaza. I am appalled and frankly disgusted by this decision. It has shocked me to the core that BBC has no human values left at all. With biased pro-Israeli broadcasting that you have shoved in our faces during the conflict, you are now denying 1.5 million Gazans of their chance to rebuild their lives.
May I remind you, which you have clearly forgotten, that like many others who have been complaining, I am too a BBC licence payer, and demand to know the REAL reason that you have denied DEC it’s free broadcasting time to raise money for Gaza.
I have read that DEC’s appeal has been denied by BBC in order “to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC’s impartiality in the context of an ongoing news story’ is frankly absurd and meaningless. You have for forty-five years had an agreement with DEC and in the past have aired many appeals (Zimbabwe, tsunami etc.) Now you are breaking this contract because BBC apparently gets to decide who is human and who is worth getting this aid. Frankly, that is NOT for BBC to decide. You claim that you will continue to report on the humanitarian aspects in Gaza, but your reporting has questioned the pro-Israeli stand you have already taken.
BBC are contradicting themselves, by taking this stand it makes it superbly clear that you are supporting Israel and your ‘impartiality’ has already been questioned and is on the verge of deteriorating.
It has become common knowledge that pregnant women giving births during the massacre have not been able gain post pregnancy treatments till this day. Children who have lost limbs or survived close range shootings are sitting in hospitals with infections due medication depletion, families have been torn apart, livelihoods snatched. There is need for immediate medical aid, water, housing and long term aid is further needed and you are concerned with ‘risk’ of compromising public confidence? And so I am dismayed and wonder at what kind of people work at BBC? Obviously they themselves have not been brought up with basic human values.
I will advise you that before you loose all credibility, that BBC needs to reinstate DEC its free fundraising broadcasting time immediately and start to respond to the REAL humanitarian appeal for Gazans. It may come as a surprise to you but the people of Gaza are actually human beings who have been denied nearly every basic human rights by Israel, have been victims of horrendous war crimes committed by Israel and are still suffering from the consequences of the three week massacre.
I demand as a BBC licence payer for you to broadcast DEC’s appeal immediately and to take full responsibility for this cold and callous decision made.
Awaiting your reply
Monday, 5 January 2009
Count the protesters...
The police 'counted' 12,000
BBC say 55,000
Organisers said the 55,000 mark passed at 1.30pm.
I saw loads of people still arriving to Trafalgar square at 2.30pm
YOU count them...
Paul Hanes filmed the whole protest as it passed and speeded it up to show the number of people on the march - brilliant.
BBC say 55,000
Organisers said the 55,000 mark passed at 1.30pm.
I saw loads of people still arriving to Trafalgar square at 2.30pm
YOU count them...
Paul Hanes filmed the whole protest as it passed and speeded it up to show the number of people on the march - brilliant.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
BBC Arabic service ballot results - 80.6% in favour of strike action
Today 80% of NUJ members at the BBC Arabic service in Broadcasting House at Oxford Circus voted for strike action.Previous BBC strikes involving BBC staff have been confident, angry and vibrant. 'Long live the revolution and death to the management' were chanted in Urdu - 'Inklab Zindabad wa Management murbadad'
i look forward to the next pickets. Details of which will be posted here as soon as i know.
I am informed by my sources that this strike is even more significant because the Arabic service has only just been set up (in competetion with Al Jajeera) and a succesful campaign would be a major embarassment for the Beeb.
Even before th NUJ had time to circulate the results of the ballot, the BBC management panicked and sent a snivelling 2 1/2 page email, trying to explain what the strike action is about, to the ENTIRE workforce....
In this email management said that 'the reasons for the ballot are unclear'. They claim that they have offered a 'comprehensive package...including shorter night shifts, a 37.5 hour working week, more staff than originally planned and further training and development'.
They complain that changes to shift patterns would cost them an extra £1.5 million and threaten the closure of other World Service language services in order to pay for this.
Further, they state that 'BBC Arabic staff are not working longer hours than elsewhere in the BBC' and that 'extra staff would mean that BBC Arabic are better staffed than the other BBC news outlets'.
They acknowledge that there has been some 'frustration' due to the amount of change in the last 2 years but refute the necessity of strike action claiming that 'any strike action would be unjustifiable'...and would 'jeopordise the high level of esteem BBC Arabic atracts from audiences'.
Management worry that these demands would lead to hard questions from their funders about all their services.
In the statement from NUJ to memebers we read: "Ultimately, this dispute is about what's needed to produce quality broadcastig. To be a success, the extension of the BBC's Arabic services to a 24-hour operation must be fully funded..."
NUJ Broadcasting Organiser stresses that the Arabic Service members have not entered into this strike lightly. They rightly rejected managements calls for an undemocratic e-mail vote, fully aware that distance voting destroys an open and fair debate and ultimately would only produce a result that mangement could accuse of being undemocratic. No one in their right mind should believe that distance voting could provide a reasonable assessment of the rank and file mood.
NUJ insist that strike action is the only option available to 'ensure that management listen to their concerns'
Read the NUJ report here
Sunday, 31 August 2008
BBC recruiting for the BNP again
Compare 2 versions of a story about years of racist torment and provocation. First this one by the BBC's Phil Mackie:Politics Fragments Stoke
As an Asian man from Stoke-on-Trent begins a jail term for killing his British National Party activist neighbour, what impact has the case had on the city?...Mr Brown's death and the subsequent trial have become an important part of British National Party (BNP) campaigning.
The party believes that had the roles in the fatal fight been reversed, Mr Brown would be serving life for murder. Its bloggers rail against a judicial system they say is hamstrung by political correctness and dominated by a middle-class liberal elite.
We've always known that the BBC has a tendency to distort stories of this ilk, but this takes the piss.
BNP leader, Nick Griffin, even attended Mr Brown's funeral.
Mr Griffin told mourners that Mr Brown's family was subjected to a reign of terror by racist neighbours and their gang friends. (emphasis my own)
...to this one:
Racists made life hell by
BBC Arabic service to ballot tmrw for strike action
A ballot will go to the members tommorrow over issues of outsourcing, unpaid overtime, compulsory 11.5 hour days and shift patterns.
More news once I speak to my contact in the NUJ (National Union of Journalists).
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