UK
Journalist who said he would ‘burn Jews as Hitler did’ is back on the BBC
Samer Elzaenen was used by BBC Arabic in July as a Gaza eyewitness
September 7, 2025 10:47
Samer Elzaenen was used by BBC Arabic in July as a Gaza eyewitness
September 7, 2025 10:47The BBC has continued to use a contributor even after it emerged he had repeatedly incited violence against Jews, including saying he would burn them “as Hitler did”.
Samer Elzaenen, who has appeared on the BBC’s Arabic channel more than a dozen times since the October 7 atrocities, was most recently used in July as an eyewitness to describe the hunger in Gaza, under the headline “Starvation as a ‘weapon of war’: What does it mean and when was it used in history?”
His July appearance came despite several reports in April – including in the JC – that he had posted extremist slogans including “#WeAreAllHamas You Son of a Jewess”.
In July 2022, a post on his Facebook read: “When things go awry for us, shoot the Jews, it fixes everything,” the Telegraph reported.
He made a similar statement in May 2011, when he allegedly wrote on Facebook, “My message to the Zionist Jews: We are going to take our land back, we love death for Allah’s sake the same way you love life. We shall burn you as Hitler did, but this time we won’t have a single one of you left.”
After being contacted by the Telegraph, the BBC admitted that Elzaenen should not have been used as an expert contributor but emphasised that he was not a member of staff.
In a statement to the JC in April regarding Elzaenen, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “International journalists including the BBC are not allowed access into Gaza so we hear from a range of eyewitness accounts from the strip. These are not BBC members of staff or part of the BBC’s reporting team. We were not aware of the individuals’ social media activity prior to hearing from them on air. We are absolutely clear that there is no place for antisemitism on our services.”
In relation to his subsequent appearances, a BBC spokesperson said: “There is no place for antisemitism on our services. We strongly condemn the hateful views expressed by this individual in 2011.
"Although he is not a BBC journalist and quoting him does not mean we endorse his views, we should not have used him in this way.”
Responding to questions about his attitude to Jews, Mr Elzaenen told the Telegraph: “The posts you referred to date back to around 2011 and were quotations rather than personal statements. They were merely social media posts and do not reflect or represent my professional journalism. After reviewing them, I removed those posts entirely.
“Throughout my career, my journalism has always been conducted with full professionalism. Every report I produced for the BBC was broadcast exactly as it was, without distortion, fabrication or alteration.”
He added: “If I were not a professional journalist, and given that these statements date back to 2011, the BBC would not have hired me years later. If there had ever been any sign of unprofessionalism on my part, I would not have been employed by such a respected institution.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “There is no place for antisemitism on our services. We strongly condemn the hateful views expressed by this individual in 2011. Although he is not a BBC journalist, and quoting him does not mean we endorse his views, we should not have used him in this way.”
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