BBC journalists have been liking tweets spreading ‘anti-Semitic’ conspiracy theories about Israel – as insiders warned it was a ‘frightening’ time to be Jewish at the corporation.
Sally Nabil, who works for BBC Arabic, reportedly liked a tweet in December which claimed without substantiation that large numbers of Jews from around the world were buying up land in Northern Cyprus with the aim of ‘seizing’ the territory for Israel.
The story, which has circulated in some Turkish newspapers, has sparked alarm on the island despite officials disputing the numbers.
Ms Nabil was previously criticised for liking a tweet posted on the day of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel that read: ‘Here is Palestinian resistance taking the initiative and surprises the Israeli occupier with an operation of quality.’
Another BBC Arabic journalist, Ahmed Rouaba, is said to have reposted a tweet describing aspects of Israel’s blockade on Gaza as ‘pure evil’ and another that claimed the country was ‘starving’ Palestinians ‘to save money bombing them’.
Sally Nabil, who works for BBC Arabic, reportedly liked a tweet in December which claimed without substantiation that large numbers of Jews from around the world were buying up land in Northern Cyprus with the aim of ‘seizing’ the territory for Israel
Rami Ruhayem, one of its correspondents based in Beirut, sent a letter to BBC director-general Tim Davie that accused organisation of complicity in ‘genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid’
Dawn Queva, a BBC scheduler, has been fired after sharing ‘horrific’ anti-Semitic social media posts
He also shared a tweet suggesting that Israel had lied to the International Court of Justice in the recent genocide case brought against it by South Africa, the Telegraph reported.
BBC guidelines oblige its journalists to achieve ‘due impartiality’ in all output, with news journalists having a ‘particular responsibility’ to uphold the principle on social media.
Rami Ruhayem, one of its correspondents based in Beirut, has also made his opinions on the conflict known by sending a letter to BBC director-general Tim Davie that accused organisation of complicity in ‘genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid’.
Dawn Queva, a BBC scheduler, was recently fired for sharing a string of ‘horrific’ anti-Semitic social media posts, one of which described the Holocaust as a ‘holohoax’, prompting calls for the BBC to take action.
The Mail understands she was sacked on Friday.
In the messages, she refers to ‘AshkeNazis’, a slur that is a play on ‘Ashkenazi’ – Jews who descend from those who lived in central or eastern Europe.
One message claims the Ashkenazi Jews are ‘a bunch of subcontinental European melanin recessive CaucAsian japhetic AshkeNazi who have no None zero zilch blood connection to the land of Palestine or Israel historically’.
Another brands Jewish people an ‘invader coloniser species’. Ms Queva also allegedly described white people as ‘barbaric’ and ‘bloodthirsty’. In other posts, she referred to the UK as the ‘UKKK’ – a reference to the Ku Klux Klan.
Ms Queva, 55, a senior scheduler and playout planner for BBC Three, posted under the name Dawn Las Quevas-Allen. She previously worked in scheduling for A+E Networks, UKTV and Disney.
She doubled down on her remarks after they came to light, challenging her critics to ‘come at me… my shoulders are broad’.
MailOnline can also reveal that Ms Queva once referred to her employer as the ‘Bigoted Broadcasting Company’ and said she refused to pay her TV licence.
Ms Queva, 55, described the Holocaust as a ‘holohoax’, prompting calls for the BBC to take action
Ms Queva posted under the name Dawn Las Quevas-Allen. She previously worked in scheduling for A+E Networks, UKTV and Disney
One post by Dawn Queva claimed that ‘being JewISH has zero to do with ethnicity’ and suggested Jews were from the ‘Synagogue of Satan’
It is unclear when the comment on Facebook was made or what it was in response to, however, it appears to have been made before she was employed by the company.
In the post, which has been shared widely on X, Ms Queva wrote: ‘This amongst other reasons is why I refused to contract with the Bigoted Broadcasting Company. How dare they treat the black community like this.
‘This [sic] exactly the same thing they did with black music on the radio in the 60’s and 70’s. They only started playing it when the white northern soul brigade started listening to Radio Caroline and leaving the BBC in their droves.
‘Fifty and sixty years on and nothing has changed within this racist British institution and I for one refuse to fund their bigotry through a licence.’
Last night, BBC staff told the Mail the corporation needed to take a stand.
A Jewish worker said: ‘Jewish colleagues are finding it really tough seeing everyone but our bosses condemning what we have seen.’
They added: ‘If the BBC is serious about standing up to anti-Semitism then it needs to practise what it keeps preaching and stand up to the hate crimes committed by one of its own staff.’
Broadcaster, Mail columnist and former BBC presenter Andrew Neil said ex-colleagues had told him it was ‘grim’ and ‘frightening’ to be Jewish at the BBC at the moment
Several Jewish members of BBC staff defied a ban on attending a march against anti-Semitism
Another post featured University of Chicago political scientist Prof John Mearsheimer suggesting Hamas’s terror attacks on Israel last October 7 included some deaths caused by the IDF
Dawn Queva continued sharing anti-Israel videos including one comparing the country’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion with Adolf Hitler
The BBC Three executive also shared a video suggesting Israel wanted a mosque to ‘collapse’
A second Jewish worker added: ‘The BBC needs to take a lead on this and make it clear that racism is racism and it won’t be tolerated.’
Broadcaster, Mail columnist and former BBC presenter Andrew Neil said ex-colleagues had told him it was ‘grim’ and ‘frightening’ to be Jewish at the BBC at the moment. He wrote on X: ‘Where’s the director general and his army of BBC executives paid large salaries to get a grip of matters like this?’
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘These posts are utterly horrific. Racist conspiracy theories and Holocaust-denial have no place at our public broadcaster, but what is becoming increasingly tiresome is us having to point this out. Barely a week goes by now without some figure at the BBC publishing some inflammatory remark relating to Jews.
‘Something is terribly rotten at the BBC.
‘We are filing complaints with the BBC about this individual and reporting the posts to the police, but the time has come for the BBC step up and confront anti-Semitism in its organisation once and for all.’
Ms Queva, who lives in south-east London, declined to comment last night.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘The individual concerned is no longer employed by the BBC.’
Asked about its journalists liking anti-Israel tweets, the corporation said: ‘We do not comment on individual staff matters or individual social media posts and will not be commenting on these cases. However, we take any breaches of our social media guidance very seriously and always take appropriate disciplinary action wherever necessary.’
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