No, BBC, Hamas are definitely terrorists

The BBC has doubled down on its stubbornness to avoid calling Hamas terrorists, even though the UK government and even the King has described them as such.

The brutal massacre of over 1,300 innocent Israelis on Saturday, along with the awful rape, beheading and kidnapping, should be enough for any person with common sense to understand that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. But the BBC refuses to acknowledge this.

In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s attack, it became apparent to observant listeners that the BBC was describing Hamas as militants, not terrorists. When challenged, they absurdly dug their heels in further. The pride of the BBC has undermined their credibility, and their hypocrisy is at an all time high.  

The BBC was so resolute, they brought out veteran journalist John Simpson to educate us mere mortals about why the BBC knows best. He claimed that the answer “goes right back to the BBC’s founding principles.” This is a brave move, not least because the BBC’s founding principles was based on the Bible and the BBC’s mandate was one of promoting truth. Nevertheless, he argued that terrorism is a “loaded word”, saying, “It’s simply not the BBC’s job to tell people who to support and who to condemn – who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.”

He added, “The key point is that we don’t say it in our voice. Our business is to present our audiences with the facts, and let them make up their own minds.”

“We don’t take sides,” he writes “We don’t use loaded words like “evil” or “cowardly”. We don’t talk about “terrorists”. 

But this is a blatant lie. The BBC is on the record for using the word ‘terrorist attack’, ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ on multiple occasions, including the Paris terrorist attacks and terrorist attacks in London. Did the BBC ‘take a side’ on those fateful occasions, Mr Simpson?

The only difference is that this is Israel. The BBC claims to make an effort to be impartial. Impartiality means that where two rivalries exist, the BBC should try to avoid presenting a bias. A debate between Conservatives and Labour would be a good example of this. However, Israel and Hamas are not to be equated with one another. The BBC can still be ‘impartial’ and call a terrorist a terrorist. Otherwise, it actually discredits its own attempt to let people decide ‘who are the good guys and who are the bad guys’.

Where there is a clear victim and oppressor as in the case this week, the BBC makes a serious misjudgement in trying to present both sides as equal. This is why the word ‘terrorist’ matters. It gives vvalidation to those who hate Israel and those who try and justify Hamas’s actions. It leads to ‘pro-Palestinian’ protesters endorsing Hamas because they are portrayed simply as ‘militants’. And worryingly, it could also lead to antisemitic actions by Hamas supporters.

Another reason why Hamas should be called terrorists is because the group is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. The BBC is funded by the British-license payer and is the nation’s state broadcaster. Yet, the BBC has created its own foreign policy, even though it insists it shouldn’t have one.

Even King Charles and Prince William have this week described Hamas as terrorists, condemned their actions and (Prince William) supported Israel’s right to self-defence. This was unprecedented in that it was an unusual move away from Royal protocol. The protocol is there to protect the Royal family from feeling obliged to comment on every foreign policy matter. Some people might wish for the Royal family to speak out more often, but these protective measures have safe-guarded the Royals from intervening in matters that could prove counter-productive to them or prevent them from meddling with Britain’s foreign policy. But its not meant to silence them. Instead, in the face of such evil atrocities, their intervention has been received with even greater weight and seriousness. The BBC should take note.

You see, there is no neutrality in the face of evil. As Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.”