The BBC has once again faced criticism after failing to mention Jews in a segment about the Battle of Cable Street – one of the key moments in Anglo-Jewish history.
The two-minute report – which was aired on BBC London’s lunchtime news bulletin on Monday – highlighted the presence “the Irish and dockers”, but gave no mention to the central role that Jews played in events.
Throughout the broadcast, vague references were made to various “communities” which joined forces on the day.
Narrating over black and white footage of the battle, BBC reporter and presenter Thomas Magill says: “Those communities that joined forces included the Irish, Dockers from the nearby Thames and others.”
Near the end of the report, Prof Nadia Valman of Queen Mary University of London describes the battle as “a mass movement that united people from extremely different backgrounds, different religions, different places of origin, different languages, and young people and old people,” but stops short of mentioning Jews specifically.
The subject was being discussed in the context of the musical Cable Street, which has recently opened for a third run at the the Marylebone Theatre until 28 February.
Although Magill spoke to Adam Lenson and Yoav Segal, the play’s director and set designer, who are both Jewish – with Segal even speaking about his Jewish grandfather, who was present on the day – the word “Jews” or “Jewish” did not come up.
An accompanying article on the BBC’s website, also written by Magill, makes clear the central role played in the battle by the Jewish community.
Alex Hearn, a director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “As with their Holocaust coverage, the antisemitic nature of Cable Street has been erased by the BBC.
"This isn't journalism, it's historical vandalism. Instead of naming this hate, Jewish suffering is treated as controversial. There is a war on memory, with Jews becoming plot devices in generic stories stripped of real meaning. When Jewish identity consistently disappears from BBC coverage of antisemitic persecution, that's not coincidence — it's editorial policy.”
The Cable Street omission comes just weeks after BBC One’s The Repair Shop failed to mention Jews in a 16-minute segment on the Kindertransport.
The Christmas special, broadcast on December 26, featured a broken cello presented by actress Dame Helen Mirren that once belonged to Martin Landau, a child refugee who grew up to become a noted theatrical impresario.
However Landau’s Jewish identity – the reason he was forced to flee Nazi Europe – was never mentioned, nor were the words “Jewish” or “Jews” used at any point.
Asked about the omission, the independent company which made the programme for the BBC, Ricochet, told the JC they thought Landau’s Jewish identity was “implicit” – adding that they would update the programme on BBC iPlayer to state explicitly that Landau and the Kindertransport refugees were forced to escape Europe because they were Jewish.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Although this short piece on BBC London did not explicitly reference all the communities involved in the Battle of Cable Street, it included interviews with three Jewish contributors.
"These included the play’s director, an established academic, and a cast member who shared his grandfather’s personal experience of the Battle. The accompanying online piece includes mentions of the Jewish community throughout."
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