Letter to director general of the BBC

Monday 26^th of January 2009

Arts a0002,

University of Sussex,

Falmer,

Brighton BN1 4ND

Dear Mr Thompson,

Millions of people in this country, and worldwide, have relied on the BBC to convey unbiased, truthful and transparent news for decades. We, a group of around a hundred Sussex University students are writing to convey our deepest outrage with the frankly biased news coverage concerning the current actions of the Israeli government.

We have joined together, like many other universities over the country, and occupied a University building until our university administration meets our demands of boycotting Israeli goods and giving financial and academic aid to universities and civilians on Palestinian occupied land. We are here to call for aid and awareness of the reality of the events that are happening in the Middle East at the moment, and you should be ashamed that we no longer feel we can use BBC journalism as a reliable source.

On a number of occasions you have misinformed the public on the very facts that have made the massacre so despicable. You have lied about the deaths of innocent children and the disgraceful use of weapons by the Israeli government; you have not shown appeals of aid for fears of being ‘biased’. For almost a week now we have joined together despite different backgrounds, religions and political-lineages under one cause: to show solidarity with the suffering people of Palestine. This undeniable horror is in need of desperate attention.

The job of the BBC is to respond to the interests and opinions of the British public. We are in our millions, united by the knowledge that what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is unacceptable. Only when the grim reality of the Israeli occupation is reported truthfully will the BBC be working towards the public’s goal, not against it.

We urge you to broadcast the truth, as millions worldwide depend on you to do. No more lies. No more fictions.

Yours sincerely,

The Sussex Occupation