"BBC LAUGHED AT BABIES BEING BLOWN UP" Kafka meets Orwell at the national union of journalists
"BBC LAUGHED AT BABIES BEING BLOWN UP"
Kafka meets Orwell at the national union of journalists
I've been told that, incredibly, some NUJ delegates at their conference in Blackpool apparently laughed at the thought of babies being blown up in Gaza. I've heard that when one of them was challenged, he allegedly said, "The more, the better."
I understand that these delegates included senior BBC presenters.
I'm told that these particular delegates had spent the entire conference voting against every resolution that supported Palestine.
Whenever they lost a vote, they would bring it back with a point of order or vote clause by clause to neuter it. The NUJ is a small union of under 20,000 and is haemorrhaging members. I'm informed that it is well known in union circles that those in the BBC sections have threatened to leave en block if the union supports Palestine in any way.
Manchester delegate, Stefan Choluwka, said:
" it was like something out of Kafka's, the trial."
When the NUJ executive ruled out of order yet another attempt to block discussion on Gaza, Harvey Cook approached them, whispered something to them, and magically, they changed their minds.
I understand that many pro Palestinian delegates were not allowed to speak by time being called on debate. When one delegate from Manchester spoke to tell the conference what the pro Israel lobby had said, he was ruled out of order.
This delegate was then intimidated by a member of the BBC world service and later by an NUJ executive member.
Worse was to follow. The delegate was then threatened with disciplinary action. Charges were then brought against the delegate by the executive) rather than any named accusers.
One of the charges is that the delegate may in the future write an article about the conference. Think about that for a moment, a journalist is charged with, at some time in the future, writing an article about journalists at a conference for - journalists!
Yet when opening the conference, union president, Natasha Hirst, said: "Healthy debate is crucial to strengthening the union's work." I agree, and that should extend to debate about the genocide in Palestine.
posted by Satish Sharma at
14:19
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