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800+ programme-makers condemn censorship and racism after BBC pulls Gaza documentary [1]

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Date: 2025-02-26

Gary Lineker, Khalid Abdalla, Anita Rani, and Miriam Margolyes have joined over 800 film, TV, and media workers in condemning censorship and racism after the BBC pulled a documentary about children’s lives in Gaza.

The media professionals, including twelve BBC staff, sent a letter to the broadcaster’s director-general Tim Davie, chair of the board Samir Shah, chief content officer Charlotte Moore, and head of news and current affairs Deborah Turness on Wednesday. The letter (in full below) condemned a “racist” and “dehumanising” campaign targeting the film Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, which the BBC removed from its iPlayer streaming service after pressure from supporters of Israel. The BBC’s board is set to discuss the documentary on Thursday.

“Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives. This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion,” the letter read. “As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.”

The letter signatories include journalists Zoe Williams and Gary Younge, senior executives & filmmakers Brian Hill and Rich Peppiatt, and Sarah Agha, who presented the BBC documentary series The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories. The letter said Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone offers an “all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children” and “deserves recognition” rather than censorship.

“The UK film and TV industry will no longer be intimidated by those whose sole mission it is to censor the voices of the many who are defending the rights of children, the marginalised and those in desperate need. All stories have the right to be told and journalistic scrutiny should not be at the whim of those who deem certain lives unequal,” said letter signatory Nada Issa, an award-winning producer/director and journalist who is part Palestinian and Lebanese.

The BBC has said the documentary would not be available on iPlayer while additional “due diligence” checks take place. Sources at the broadcaster have reportedly said the intention was to eventually make the film available to viewers once more.

The letter urged the BBC to reject efforts to have the film permanently removed or “subjected to undue disavowals”, saying that surrendering to efforts to stop its return to iPlayer would indicate “racialised smears against Palestinians outweigh journalistic ethics and public interest”.

The signatories also warned against intrusive scrutiny of Abdullah Al-Yazouri, a 14-year-old child who narrated Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone. His father, Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri, served as Gaza’s deputy agriculture minister – a civil service role concerned with food production.

“​​Almost half of Gaza’s population are children. What they have experienced over the past 17 months is something no child deserves to ever go through,” said Liam O’Hare, an award-winning documentary producer/director who signed the letter. “As journalists and filmmakers we have a duty to help tell their story and that’s what this film did so brilliantly. The BBC cannot allow a politicised campaign to succeed in silencing the children of Gaza.”

Read the letter in full:

Dear Samir Shah, Tim Davie and Charlotte Moore,

We are UK-based film & TV professionals and journalists writing in support of the BBC documentary Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, which aired on February 17 on BBC TWO and was subsequently made available on iPlayer. This film is an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances, which amplifies voices so often silenced. It deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.

Racist Assumptions & Weaponisation of Identity

A campaign has sought to discredit the documentary using the father of 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, one of the film’s child protagonists. Dr Ayman Al-Yazouri served as Gaza’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, a civil service role concerned with food production. Conflating such governance roles in Gaza with terrorism is both factually incorrect and dehumanising. This broad-brush rhetoric assumes that Palestinians holding administrative roles are inherently complicit in violence—a racist trope that denies individuals their humanity and right to share their lived experiences. As industry professionals who craft stories for the British public, including for the BBC, we condemn the weaponisation of a child’s identity and the racist insinuation that Palestinian narratives must be scrutinised through a lens of suspicion. We urge you to reject these tactics, protect vulnerable voices, and reaffirm your commitment to stories that hold power to account. Our screens and our society depend on it.

Child Safeguarding & Ethical Standards

The letters of complaint disregard core safeguarding principles by demanding intrusive scrutiny of Abdullah’s background. Children must not be held responsible for the actions of adults, and weaponising family associations to discredit a child’s testimony is both unethical and dangerous. The BBC’s duty of care to Abdullah, and all minors in conflict zones, must prioritise their safety, privacy, and dignity. Publishing unverified claims about his family risks exposing him to harassment or harm, in direct violation of the BBC’s International Safeguarding Policy. Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives. This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion. As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country. The BBC’s Responsibility

We call on you to reject attempts to have the documentary permanently removed or subjected to undue disavowals. Capitulating to such attempts to block its reinstatement on iPlayer would signal that:

–Palestinian children’s stories are only valid if their families pass arbitrary “purity tests.” –Racialised smears against Palestinians outweigh journalistic ethics and public interest. –Independent filmmakers can be scapegoated and censored for political purposes.

The BBC is ultimately responsible for ensuring its programming meets editorial and compliance standards. Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash, of Hoyo Films, are experienced journalistic filmmakers who prioritised the safety of their contributors and production team.

Censorship & Intimidation

Calls to remove the documentary from iPlayer and social media set a dangerous precedent. As media professionals, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of political actors, including foreign diplomats, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country. If every documentary made in conflict zones were subjected to this level of politicised scrutiny regarding contributors, filmmaking in these areas would become virtually impossible. Silencing a child’s firsthand account of survival in Gaza, where over 13,000 children have been killed since October 2023, is not about compliance but about erasing Palestinian suffering. The BBC must resist political pressure aimed at suppressing narratives that humanise Palestinians. A broadcaster cannot allow bad-faith attacks to dictate its editorial decisions. Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone is an important, well-executed documentary that license-fee payers have the right to watch. The BBC should stand by it with confidence. Yours sincerely

Updated list: 867 signatories

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[1] Url: https://artistsforpalestine.org.uk/2025/02/26/500-programme-makers-condemn-censorship-and-racism-after-bbc-pulls-gaza-documentary/

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