Counter Terrorism police are ‘assessing’ whether ‘police action’ is required, after the BBC admitted to paying a family with ties to Hamas when making a controversial documentary about Gaza.
It comes as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is set to meet with the BBC’s chair to discuss sourcing for the now disgraced program.
Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone was removed from BBC iPlayer after it was revealed that its child narrator, a 14-year-old boy named Abdullah, was the son of a senior Hamas official.
Yesterday the corporation published the findings of an initial review into whether license-fee payer money was sent to the terrorist group.
In a statement the national broadcaster revealed that the boy’s mother had been paid ‘via his sister’s bank account’ for his involvement in the documentary.
But the corporation said they had been assured by independent production company Hoyo Films that no payments were made to ‘Hamas or its affiliates’.
Last night a coalition of politicians and Jewish leaders demanded that counter-terrorism police ‘investigate’ the BBC to see whether licence-fee cash ended up in the bank accounts of terrorists.
This morning a spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said: ‘We’re aware of a BBC documentary about Gaza and we have received a number of reports raising concerns.
‘Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are currently assessing whether any police action is required in relation to this matter.’
Ahead of her meeting with the BBC Chair, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that ‘no stone’ must be left unturned by a fact-finding review into the BBC.
She said: ‘The BBC has acknowledged serious failings by them and the production company Hoyo Films.
‘The public rightly holds the BBC to the highest standards of reporting and governance which is why I will be having an urgent meeting with the BBC Chair later today.
‘I want assurances that no stone will be left unturned by the fact-finding review now commissioned by the BBC’s Director General.
‘This review must be comprehensive, rigorous and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened in this case. It is critical for trust in the BBC that this review happens quickly, and that appropriate action is taken on its findings.’
Alex Hearn, Co-Director of Labour Against Antisemitism told the Daily Mail: ‘There needs to be accountability for those who allowed the heard-earned money of British taxpayers to end up in the pockets of Hamas, a banned terrorist organisation.
‘Counter terrorism police must now investigate what happened and arrests should be made.
‘The BBC has ongoing issues regarding news and current affairs which needs serious reform, and they can start rebuilding trust by removing those responsible from their positions.’
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘A national treasure has become a national embarrassment.
‘The BBC has now admitted that licence fee funds were paid to the family of a senior Hamas official.
‘It has not yet been able to rule out that further payments to Hamas were made as it continues to investigate where hundreds of thousands of pounds went.
‘The BBC’s statement is an exercise in desperate damage control, and shows why an internal review is no substitute for an independent investigation into this documentary and the wider bias at the BBC that allowed it to be made and aired.
‘Clearly those responsible must lose their jobs.
‘We are among those who have reported the BBC to Counter Terrorism Policing, which is now investigating.
‘Clearly this is a significant incident that is firmly within the public interest, and the Met is right to give it urgent attention.’
Luke Akehurst, Labour MP said: ‘I expect far better from our national public broadcaster.
‘It’s the latest but one of the most shocking examples of their bias in their Middle East coverage.
‘They really need to get their act together to restore their reputation for impartial coverage.’
Sharren Haskel MK, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel. ‘Hamas is a proscribed terror organisation in the UK.
‘There are legitimate questions that UK taxpayers’ money from the BBC could have been paid to Hamas, a monstrous terrorist organisation, whose savages murder babies and mothers in cold blood.
‘The Metropolitan Police must investigate this immediately.’
Danny Cohen former Director of BBC Television said: ‘It is astonishing that the BBC have now admitted money has gone to the family of a senior Hamas official, and this is a matter that must now be fully investigated by the authorities.
‘Other matters raised in this affair, including mis-translation, have shaken the confidence of the British viewing public over the BBC’s apparent inability to address issues of anti-Jewish bias.
‘The BBC must allow a full independent inquiry to investigate the processes that led to this documentary being produced, and the pervasive anti-Israel bias that allowed it to pass through the system unobstructed.’
On Thursday the BBC published a statement apologising for ‘serious flaws’ in the making of their documentary about Gaza.
They said: ‘During the production process, the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas.
‘Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy’s father was a Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas Government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact.
‘It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired. Hoyo Films have told us that they paid the boy’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration.
‘While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure. We are requesting the relevant financial accounts of the production company in order to do that.’
Given the BBC’s own failings, the Director-General has asked for complaints on this matter to be expedited to the Editorial Complaints Unit, which is separate from BBC News. Alongside this a full fact-finding review will be undertaken; the Director-General has asked Peter Johnston to lead this work.
Today, a BBC spokesperson said: ‘BBC News has conducted an initial review on the programme ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’. Today the BBC Board was updated on that work. It has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme.
‘Some of these were made by the production company, and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable. BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation. We apologise for this.
‘Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism. This incident has damaged that trust. While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose – to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places – the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations.
‘Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast.’
They added: ‘Peter Johnston, the Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews, is independent of BBC News and reports directly to the Director-General. He will consider all of the complaints and issues that have been raised.
‘He will determine whether any editorial guidelines have been broken; rapidly address the complaints that have been made; and, enable the BBC to determine whether any disciplinary action is warranted in relation to shortcomings in the making of this programme.
‘This will include issues around the use of language, translation and continuity that have also been raised with the BBC.
‘We have no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer and will make a further assessment once the work of Peter Johnston is complete.’
In a statement the BBC Board said: ‘The BBC Board met today. The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore, but nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism.
‘While the Board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC.
‘The Board has required the Executive to report back at the earliest opportunity on the outcomes of the work the Director-General has commissioned.’
A spokesperson for Hoyo Films said: ‘When we were commissioned to make Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, our aim was to make an engaging and insightful documentary about the lives of young people in Gaza.
‘We felt it was important to hear from voices that haven’t been represented onscreen throughout the war with dignity and respect – and to tell the story about the devastating impact of war on their everyday lives.
‘We are cooperating fully with the BBC and Peter Johnston to help understand where mistakes have been made.
‘We feel this remains an important story to tell, and that our contributors – who have no say in the war – should have their voices heard.’