Barely had the French Jewish community time to get their heads around the appalling terror attack on a Paris kosher supermarket when the BBC’s Tim Willcox interviewed a Jewish woman at the January 11 solidarity rally in Paris. Interrupting her, Willcox says * :
Many critics of Israel’s policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well.
Note that Willcox specifically says “Jewish” rather than “Israeli,” thus effectively holding French Jewry (and all Jews) responsible for the actions of Israel.
“Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel” is included in the European Union’s Working Definition of Anti-Semitism while the U.S. State Department says: “Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, the state of Israel, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.“
And for good measure, Willcox, when he fails to get his interviewee to agree with his offensive logic, adds:
But you understand; everything is seen from different perspectives.
This isn’t the first time that Tim Willcox has demonstrated disturbing behavior when it comes to Jews. As BBC Watch explains, Willcox promoted the “Jewish lobby” trope on a BBC broadcast as recently as November 2014.
Tim Willcox’s inference that the Middle East conflict can in any way explain or justify an attack on Jews in France or anywhere else in the world is simply appalling.
Willcox’s specific reference to “Jewish hands” is abhorrent and unacceptable and suggests that Jews worldwide should be held responsible for the actions of Israel. This clearly falls under the European Union’s Working Definition of Anti-Semitism.
Willcox has since “apologized” on Twitter:
Really sorry for any offence caused by a poorly phrased question in a live interview in Paris yesterday – it was entirely unintentional
— Tim Willcox (@BBCTimWillcox) January 12, 2015
Willcox’s apology is not enough. The issue is more than one of a “poorly phrased question” and goes to the heart of how the BBC deals with the subject of Israel and anti-Semitism. The BBC needs to openly acknowledge the seriousness of this incident at a time of growing anti-Semitism and physical attacks on Jews.
HonestReporting CEO Joe Hyams adds:
We’ve been calling for the media to adopt the EUMC Working Definition of Anti-Semitism in order to avoid this very situation involving Tim Willcox. It’s no longer good enough to feign ignorance and claim that crossing the line into anti-Semitism was unintentional. It’s high time that a widely accepted definition of anti-Semitism is added to the BBC’s editorial guidelines. The BBC and its journalists need to wake up to the incitement and harm that their shoddy reporting is doing.
Tim Willcox must be held accountable for his latest outrageous interview. The BBC must not be allowed to sweep this under the carpet. HonestReporting subscribers must make their voices heard by lodging complaints to the BBC.
[sc:graybox ]Please register your complaint with the BBC. (Choose options BBC News => TV News => BBC News Channel and then add “Coverage of Paris Rally” to the programme title and the date 11/01/2015.) The more complaints the BBC receives, the more likely it will be forced to act. See here for more on how to deal with the complaints process.
* Please note that the video above was not posted by HonestReporting and is an edited version of the full interview. The full version can be found here.
