Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, told The Telegraph: “For the BBC to describe this pro-Palestinian protest as a ‘vigil’ is utterly sickening.
“The protest aimed to disrupt and delay the screening of a documentary about a massacre of innocent young people at a music festival. The BBC’s anti-Israel bias is more and more evident with every day that passes.”
Nicole Lampert, a journalist, wrote: “Could BBC News have got this more wrong? Every day I am more and more furious about their horrendous bias.
“Pro-Palestine supporters weren’t trying to hold a ‘vigil’.
“They were trying to stop people seeing a film about the massacre of the Nova festival. They had earlier daubed the cinema in blood-red paint and called the documentary ‘artwashing’.
“Jews and allies showed them enough is enough: we are mourning but our spirit and love of life cannot be dimmed.”
Laura Cellier, who hosts Middle East Now on the Tel Aviv-based television channel i24News, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “A vigil? They came to intimidate people. They were trying to stop people from seeing a film about Hamas atrocities. What is wrong with the BBC?”
A message distributed to the activists before the demonstration, that was also posted online, referred to the screening as “artwashing” and said: “Join us outside Phoenix cinema in protest of the Israeli Government-sponsored film festival, Seret.
“Bring noise. Drums, bells, pots and pans, whistles, rice bottles.”