A BBC WS radio platform for Amnesty International talking points

Listeners to the March 28th edition of the BBC World Service radio programme ‘Newsday’ heard an item promoting a report produced by Amnesty International which was introduced by presenter Rob Young as follows (from 38:06 here):

Young: “Is the Western world guilty of double standards when it comes to human rights? Well that is the conclusion of a new report by the rights group Amnesty International. It suggests that the West’s robust response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine only highlights the deplorable lack of meaningful action, as they say, to address grave human rights violations in other countries.”

Young then brought in the secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard. Among the statements made by Callamard throughout the item were the following:

“…the people of Palestine, the people of Ethiopia, the people of Myanmar, of Egypt to name a few, they too needed our support.”

“What stands out is commitment, language and discourse around accountability, denunciation of the breakdown of rule of law, denunciation of the violation of the human charter; that we have not seen. That combination we have not seen. And we would have liked to see that replicated in other context. Instead, for the people of Palestine, 2022 in the West Bank was the deadliest year in decade [sic].”

While Young was able to challenge statements and claims made by Callamard concerning Ethiopia, he made no effort to question her context-free reference to “the deadliest year” for Palestinians. Neither did he point out that 2022 also saw a high number of Israelis murdered in terror attacks perpetrated by Palestinians. 

Listener understanding of the topic under discussion would clearly have been enhanced had Young intervened to clarify that the high number of Palestinians killed in 2022 is the direct result of an increase in Palestinian terrorism that began in May 2021 and has been fuelled by incitement, funding and weapons smuggling by internationally proscribed terrorist organisations. If that context had been provided, Young could have asked Callamard about her own “double standards” in relation to the human rights of Israeli victims of terror. 

As regular readers will be aware, the BBC has serially avoided informing its audiences – including ‘Newsday’ listeners around the world – that the majority of Palestinians killed during 2022 and 2023 were not uninvolved civilians but terrorists and/or males carrying out attacks or engaged in violence.

Had Young provided that essential context – and clarified that Amnesty International has a highly problematic record in relation to Israel – his listeners would have been able to understand that Callamard’s predictable shoehorning of “the people of Palestine” into her selective talking points was politically motivated.

Related Articles:

LOOKING BEHIND BBC REPORTING ON THE DEATHS OF PALESTINIAN TEENS

LOOKING BEHIND BBC PORTRAYAL OF PALESTINIAN CASUALTIES IN JANUARY

AN UNHELPFUL BBC BACKGROUNDER ON ‘ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE’

BBC NEWS COVERAGE OF TERRORISM IN ISRAEL – MARCH 2023

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2 Comments

  1. says: Grimey

    After their support of the ridiculous lie that Israel is an “apartheid” culture, Amnesty International is a busted flush that is obviously infiltrated by antisemites.

  2. says: Neil C

    It was the people of the mythical country referred to as Palestine that rejected UN resolution 181 and even though Israel ended up with only 23% of the land promised by the League of Nations at the San Remo conference of 1920 they still grabbed their chance and the Arabs did not. So why Am nasty International insist on their stance constantly spreading lies is beyond comprehension. AA is obviously just a bunch of antisemitic bigots and their brother and sister bigots at the BBC enjoy providing them with a platform to try to legitimize their warped antisemitic view of the world. #defundthebbc

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