LONDON, England (CNN) — The BBC is refusing to broadcast a plea from leading British charities for aid to Gaza, saying the ad would compromise the public broadcaster’s appearance of impartiality.
Demonstrators protest at the BBC’s central London offices Saturday against the broadcaster’s decision.
The decision prompted weekend protests in England and Scotland, with one group saying Sunday that 100 people had occupied the foyer of the BBC building in Glasgow, Scotland and would not leave until the BBC runs the ad.
The Disasters Emergency Committee, which includes the British Red Cross, Oxfam, Save the Children and 10 other charities, plans to launch the ad on Monday.
British broadcasters, led by the BBC, originally declined to air the appeal — but in the face of criticism from government ministers and others, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 changed their minds. CNN was not approached to broadcast the ad, a DEC spokesman said.
About 5,000 people demonstrated in front of the BBC’s Broadcasting House in central London on Saturday over the broadcaster’s stance. Seven people were arrested.
Watch protest against BBC decision »
In Glasgow, the London-based Stop the War Coalition said Sunday its supporters had moved into the foyer of the BBC building in what the group described as a peaceful protest.
The group did not plan to move beyond the foyer but intended to stay there until the BBC changes its decision, said Keith Boyd, a coalition member who called CNN on Sunday.
"Primarily we are asking that the ad be shown," Boyd said.
Don’t Miss
The BBC press office would not confirm whether its Glasgow office was being occupied or if protesters were even there.
"We don’t comment on individual demonstrations," a statement from the BBC press office said.
The BBC is standing by its decision to not air the ad, director general Mark Thompson wrote in a blog post on the corporation’s Web site.
"We concluded that we could not broadcast a free-standing appeal, no matter how carefully constructed, without running the risk of reducing public confidence in the BBC’s impartiality in its wider coverage of the story," he wrote Saturday.
"Inevitably an appeal would use pictures which are the same or similar to those we would be using in our news programs but would do so with the objective of encouraging public donations. The danger for the BBC is that this could be interpreted as taking a political stance on an ongoing story," Thompson said.
"Gaza remains a major ongoing news story, in which humanitarian issues — the suffering and distress of civilia
Related posts: Trading spouses, Aubrey o day plastic surgery, My san antonio, Mcdonalds locations, Channel islands
