Burak Bir
14 August 2025•Update: 14 August 2025
LONDON
A BBC radio host on Thursday cut off a caller who criticized the broadcaster and the ruling Labour Party government for their "complicity" in the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
During a BBC Radio 2 segment in which listeners were asked to share their ideas for giving a wedding speech, host Tina Daheely introduced a caller from Manchester, North West England, named Mary.
Mary began by thanking the host for having her on, but then went on to say: "The BBC and the UK Government are complicit in the Palestinian genoc–," Scottish daily The National reported.
Mary's line was abruptly cut before she could finish her sentence and say the word "genocide."
Later, Daheely said: "Oh, okay, not about wedding speeches at all. Cut that one off there because I've no idea what else they were going to say."
She added: "We are talking about wedding speeches here."
The BBC has long been criticized for what many see as a "double standard" in its coverage of Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli attacks on October 7, 2023, numerous protests have taken place outside its headquarters in central London in response to its editorial stance.
According to a report published by the Center for Media Monitoring (CfMM), the BBC is "systematically biased" against Palestinians in Gaza war coverage.
CfMM's June analysis of over 35,000 pieces of BBC content noted that Israeli deaths received 33 times more coverage per fatality and significantly more emotive language.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 61,700 Palestinians.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
