Piers Morgan calls out BBC for not calling Hamas ‘terrorists’
Piers Morgan branded the BBC “scandalous” over its refusal to describe Hamas as “terrorists” during an appearance on tonight’s Question Time.
The journalist said the group’s actions in Israel were “terrorism of the most heinous kind” as the panel show discussed the attack launched over the weekend.
Morgan said: “I think you have to start by using the right language, would be a good start with these situations.
“I don’t want to hit the wrong tone with my host tonight but the BBC refusing to categorise Hamas as ‘terrorists’ after what they’ve done I think is scandalous.
“I’ve heard all the excuses but you’ve got to call it what it is, this is terrorism of the most heinous kind.”
READ MORE: Nick Robinson weighs into BBC row over refusal to call Hamas ‘terrorists’
Listing some of the horrors which have emerged since Hamas began its onslaught on Saturday, he went on: “We’ve touched on some of the things here, babies being burned alive, Jerusalem Post reporting tonight confirmation of these rumours that were swirling that some of them have been beheaded.
“A Holocaust survivor grandmother kidnapped and taken away, her face staring ahead with resilient determination but my God she survived the Holocaust and is now in Gaza where they’re threatening to execute the hostages.
“There was another grandmother who was murdered and Hamas got onto her Facebook page and posted the murder so her family would see it.
“There was a man on CNN today who said that his eight-year-old daughter had disappeared, didn’t know what happened to her and it turned out she was dead.
“When he was told she was dead he said he was jubilant that she was dead and was not being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
“Think about that, this is a father whose child has died and he’s pleased it wasn’t an alternative that is worse.
“So I think we’ve got to call this what it is, I don’t care which side of this argument historically you are on and I would feel exactly the same way if Israel had perpetrated these acts on Palestinians.
“These are despicable acts of terrorism and we have to start by saying it is terrorism.”
The licence fee-funded BBC has faced a backlash for not referring to Hamas as “terrorists”.
The group is proscribed in the UK, meaning the Government sees it as a terrorist organisation.
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The BBC’s editorial guidelines on terrorism tell reporters and editors: “The word ‘terrorist’ itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding.
“We should convey to our audience the full consequences of the act by describing what happened.
“We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as ‘bomber’, ‘attacker’, ‘gunman’, ‘kidnapper’, ‘insurgent’ and ‘militant’.
“We should not adopt other people’s language as our own; our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We always take our use of language very seriously. Anyone watching or listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorist’ used many times – we attribute it to those who are using it, for example, the UK Government.
“This is an approach that has been used for decades, and is in line with that of other broadcasters. The BBC is an editorially independent broadcaster whose job is to explain precisely what is happening ‘on the ground’ so our audiences can make their own judgment.”
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