Four of Britain’s top lawyers make Ofcom complaint about BBC’s refusal to label Hamas ‘terrorists’ after attack on Israel – as they accuse corporation of abandoning its impartiality

Four of Britain’s top lawyers have complained to Ofcom over the BBC’s refusal to label Hamas ‘terrorists’ after its attack on Israel.

Lord Wolfson KC, Lord Pannick KC, Lord Grabiner KC and Jeremy Brier KC have accused the BBC of failing to show impartiality ‘beyond doubt’ by describing Hamas in ‘more sympathetic terms’ as ‘militants’. 

The four senior lawyers signed a letter calling on the regulator to investigate. 

‘On 7th October 2023, Hamas launched a large invasion of the State of Israel which resulted variously in the slaughter, rape and abduction of over a thousand Israeli citizens,’ the letter said, according to the Telegraph. 

‘There is nothing controversial about that. It is a fact.

‘The BBC has fallen well below the standards expressed in its Editorial Values in reporting of that invasion and the consequences therefrom.’

They added that Hamas being a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK ‘is not a matter of debate or discussion. It is a matter of legal fact’. 

Four of Britain’s top lawyers have complained to Ofcom over the BBC ‘s refusal to label Hamas ‘terrorists’ after its attack on Israel

The lawyers accused the BBC of ‘watering down’ the way Hamas is described. 

The BBC last night defended its decision not to describe Hamas militants as ‘terrorists’ in its coverage of the deadly attacks in Israel, despite receiving a huge backlash from politicians and those within the Jewish community.

The broadcaster’s refusal continues despite King Charles condemning the ‘barbaric acts of terrorism’ while the Prince and Princess of Wales spoke of their distress following ‘Hamas’s terrorist attack’.

The royals’ deliberate use of the word ‘terrorism’ to describe the atrocities came in sharp contrast to the BBC.  

Instead the BBC refers to Hamas as a ‘militant’ group and described the slaughter of civilians as a ‘militant’ attack. 

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis accused broadcasters of trying to ‘wilfully mislead’ by not using the word terrorist, saying: ‘The murder of babies where they sleep is not the act of a ‘freedom fighter’.’

Meanwhile Defence Secretary Grant Shapps called on the coorporation to ‘get the moral compass out’ while Labour leader Keir Starmer urged the broadcaster to ‘explain’ its reasoning. 

The broadcaster justified its language use in the name of impartiality, adding its job is to explain ‘precisely what is happening on the ground so audiences can make their own judgement’.

The BBC said it takes its use of language very seriously and say their job is to explain what is happening on the ground so audiences can make their own judgement (stock image)

 BBC director of editorial policy David Jordan said not using the word terrorist was a ‘very long-standing policy’ which had ‘stood the test of time’. 

He added: ‘We’ve called them massacres, we’ve called [them] murders, we’ve called them out for what things are and that doesn’t in any way devalue the awfulness of what is going on.’

The spokesperson for the BBC said: ‘We always take our use of language very seriously. 

‘Anyone watching or listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorist’ used many times – we attribute it to those who are using it, for example, the UK Government. 

‘This is an approach that has been used for decades, and is in line with that of other broadcasters. 

‘The BBC is an editorially independent broadcaster whose job is to explain precisely what is happening ‘on the ground’ so our audiences can make their own judgement.’

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for further comment.