BBC could be perceived as 'institutionally antisemitic' says leading academic

The organisers said over 500 people attended.

Citing studies from the Community Security Trust and the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism which showed a correlation between media coverage and antisemitic incidents during the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014, Ms Klaff concluded: “The BBC plays a significant role in the creation and or maintenance of negative attitudes towards British Jews.”

Fellow panellist Jonathan Turner, chairman of the UK Lawyers for Israel group, asked audience members to raise their hands if they had ever made a complaint to the BBC. Almost everyone in the room had.

Hadar Sela, the British-born managing director of BBC Watch, said the group had made a submission as part of the government review of the Corporation’s charter. It called for increased historical accuracy in the corporation’s reporting, better management of historical online content and a dedicated complaints page on BBC News website.

She urged audience members to contact their MPs to gain support for the proposals.

In response to the accusation that the BBC could be perceived as "institutionally antisemitic", a BBC spokesperson said: “We strongly reject these claims - the BBC News is cited as the most trusted news source in the country because of our commitment to impartiality. BBC News reports widely on many different aspects of this complex conflict that has deeply held views. We will continue to report and analyse the sometimes fast moving events in an accurate, fair and balanced way using a range of voices.”