Pro-Palestinian Group Claims Responsibility for Vandalising BBC Building

The scene at BBC Broadcasting House in London, after red paint was sprayed over the entrance on Oct. 14, 2023. James Manning/PA

A pro-Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for vandalising the BBC’s headquarters with red paint on Friday night over the broadcasting house’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

The incident came as the war entered the eighth day, with thousands of Israelis and Palestinians killed.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter on Saturday, Palestine Action said their activists had sprayed the BBC “in blood red paint,” claiming it symbolises the BBC’s “complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people through biased reporting.”

The comment came after BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire posted images and footage of the scene showing the daubed revolving glass doors and pale stone brickwork at Portland Place as she arrived for work on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for Palestine Action stated that the group “cannot stand by and let Western media justify and manufacture consent for genocide through racist, callous coverage.”

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, Met Police said, “We are investigating an incident of criminal damage to a building in Portland Place, W1A. We are aware of a video posted online claiming responsibility, and this will form part of our investigation. No arrests; enquiries are ongoing.”

The BBC declined to comment, saying it was a matter for the Met Police.

Protesters during a March for Palestine in London, on Oct. 14, 2023. James Manning/PA

In press releases published on Palestine Action’s website, the group also claimed to have sprayed office buildings of iO Associates on Monday morning.

The group said the company’s offices have been targeted because they house “the sole recruiters” of the UK branch of Elbit Systems, a defence manufacturer headquartered in Israel.

The Met didn’t comment on the claim. The Epoch Times reached out to the Greater Manchester Police, the Avon and Somerset Police, and the Thames Valley police for comment.

The BBC has also been under fire in recent days for refusing to directly refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation, despite the fact it’s proscribed by the UK government.

7 Arrested in Pro-Palestinian Rally

After the incident on Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the BBC’s headquarters in London which was the starting point for a major pro-Palestinian march in the capital.

Palestine flags and supportive placards were waved as people chanted, with Metropolitan Police and community support officers stationed nearby.

The Met said it deployed “thousands” of officers across London to police the event and reassure communities.

On Saturday evening, the Met said there had been “small pockets of disorder” during the London rally, and “flares, bottles, and fireworks” had been thrown at police in an update posted on X.

Seven people have been arrested, the Met said. Two were suspected of public order offences, one of criminal damage, and four were suspected of breaching Section 60AA, which requires a person to remove items that might be used to conceal their identity, such as a mask.

Police officers and protesters clash in Trafalgar Square during a March for Palestine in London, on Oct. 14, 2023. James Manning/PA

During the rally, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn addressed the crowd, calling it “a day of solidarity and it is a day of hope.”

On the same day, pro-Palestinian demonstrators held rallies in cities including London, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

On Oct. 7., Hamas launched missiles toward Israel and seized Israeli villages in an attack that has been described as “unprecedented.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday that terrorists “massacred” hundreds, including children; “brutally raped and murdered” women; and took hostages, also including children.

The last full casualty update from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), released on Friday, said more than 1,300 Israelis had been killed, with 3,200 wounded. Over 6,000 rockets had been fired toward Israel, hitting 2,687 targets, According to the IDF.

Gaza’s Hamas-backed health ministry reported late Friday that 1,799 have been killed in Gaza, with over 7,300 injured, due to Israeli precision airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack.

On Saturday, the IDF said it had killed over 1,000 terrorists. It also said 265 IDF soldiers were confirmed dead, and 120 Israeli families had been told their family members had been held hostage.

PA Media contributed to this report.