BBC apologizes after omitting Jewish victims in Holocaust Memorial Day coverage
Broadcaster described omission as “hurtful, disrespectful, and wrong” following criticism from experts and advocacy groups
The BBC apologized on Tuesday night after coverage of Holocaust Memorial Day failed to explicitly mention Jews, with the broadcaster describing the omission as “hurtful, disrespectful, and wrong.”
The report on BBC Breakfast introduced by Jon Kay said the day was “for remembering the six million people murdered by the Nazi regime over 80 years ago” without specifying that the victims were Jewish. The Campaign for Media Standards highlighted similar introductions by presenters Matthew Amroliwala and Martine Croxall, accusing the BBC of using the same script throughout the day.
Lord Pickles, the UK’s former special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, called the omission “an unambiguous example of Holocaust distortion, which is a form of denial.” Pickles added, “For the BBC to use it today is shocking. They should be fighting antisemitism, not aiding it.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said, “The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jewish men, women, and children. Any attempt to dilute the Holocaust, strip it of its Jewish specificity, or compare it to contemporary events is unacceptable on any day. On Holocaust Memorial Day, it is especially hurtful, disrespectful, and wrong.”
Danny Cohen, former BBC director of television, described the omission as “a new low point for the national broadcaster,” adding, “It is surely the bare minimum to expect the BBC to correctly identify that it was six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. To say anything else is an insult to their memory and plays into the hands of extremists.”