BBC controversy
Soon after the film was released, the activist and journalist David Collier reported that the film's narrator was the son of a Hamas official. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK, Israel, and other countries. Danny Cohen, a former BBC controller, led criticism of the BBC for not disclosing this in the film itself. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she would discuss the matter with BBC leadership. [6] Other critics called for an independent investigation into the BBC's editorial standards and compliance. The BBC stated that it was not informed about the family connection by the film's production company. The BBC initially added a message to the program clarifying the family link, but later removed the film from iPlayer so it could perform further due diligence. [7] Following a review, the BBC said it found "serious flaws" in the documentary's production process and would perform a full audit on the film's expenditures. [3]
Others defended the film, emphasizing its value in humanizing Palestinian children and providing insights into life in Gaza. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, expressed regret over the film's removal and stressed the importance of an independent review. Richard Sanders, a Gaza documentary filmmaker and journalist, called the BBC's decision to pull the film "cowardly". [1] Artists for Palestine UK published an open letter criticising the campaign against the documentary. [8]
