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BBC under fire over Gaza charity appeal - LahoreEstate - 01-26-2009 09:31 AM
LONDON: The BBC Sunday faced more pressure to broadcast a charity appeal for funds for people in Gaza, as the Archbishop of Canterbury joined the row and more than 50 lawmakers signed a motion condemning the move.
The publicly-funded British broadcaster is refusing to air an appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee, made up of charities including the British Red Cross and Oxfam, because it says it could compromise the BBC's impartiality.
The BBC also questions whether aid can be delivered efficiently in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians say over 1,300 died during Israel's 22-day offensive, despite ministers saying this is not an issue.
The decision drew fierce criticism from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government Saturday, while thousands of people protested in central London over the move.
The leader of Anglicans worldwide, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said Sunday: ‘My feeling is that the BBC should broadcast an appeal.’
The second most senior Anglican clergyman, Archbishop of York John Sentamu, has also said the row is not about impartiality, but humanity.
‘This is not an appeal by Hamas asking for arms but by the Disasters Emergency Committee asking for relief,’ Sentamu said. ‘By declining their request, the BBC has already taken sides and foresaken impartiality.’
A total of 51 lawmakers have backed a parliamentary motion saying they are ‘astonished’ by the BBC's move and calling the BBC's explanations for its decision ‘unconvincing and incoherent’.
BBC director-general Mark Thompson said Saturday that it has ‘a duty to ensure that nothing risks undermining our impartiality. It is to protect that impartiality that we have made this difficult decision.’
http://www.dawn.net/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/world/bbc-under-intense-fire-over-gaza-charity-appeal--bi