Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt, Riz Ahmed, and over 700 other artists have signed a letter to the BBC criticising the corporation for pulling a documentary about the lives of children in Gaza.
Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone was removed from the iPlayer service after the BBC said it discovered the film’s 13-year-old narrator was the son of an official for Palestinian organisation Hamas. BBC News reported that the board are set to meet to discuss the film today (February 27).
An open letter from the network Artists For Palestine UK condemns the decision, and at the time of writing has over 700 signatories from across the entertainment industry. Included in the list is actor and musician Riz Ahmed, Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett, Game of Thrones actor Indira Varma, Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes, film maker Ken Loach, and sports presenter Gary Lineker.
Rich Peppiatt, who directed the film Kneecap, is also included in the list. The band themselves are vocal supporters of Palestine on their social media platforms. When their film was left out of the Oscar nominations in January despite having been longlisted, the band responded by tweeting: “Fuck the Oscars. Free Palestine.”
The letter reads: “We are UK-based film & TV professionals and journalists writing in support of the BBC documentary Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which aired on February 17 on BBC TWO and was subsequently made available on iPlayer. This film is an essential piece of journalism, offering an all-too-rare perspective on the lived experiences of Palestinian children living in unimaginable circumstances, which amplifies voices so often silenced. It deserves recognition, not politically motivated censorship.”
The letter goes on to criticise what it calls the “Racist Assumptions & Weaponisation of Identity” regarding the narrator’s background; the “disregard” of “core safeguarding principles” regarding the scrutiny based on the child; and what it describes as the BBC’s “responsibility” meeting “editorial and compliance standards”. The full letter can be read here.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone features important stories we think should be told – those of the experiences of children in Gaza”.
“There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place”.
Last month, figures from the entertainment world shared their reaction to news of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine. On January 15, then-US president Joe Biden confirmed the deal, which took effect January 19 and will see the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Palestine, along with the release of all remaining hostages from the conflict.
Kneecap won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer earlier this month. Peppiatt dedicated the award to “everyone out there” who was fighting to “have their homeland respected”.
The biopic scored a glowing five-star review from NME, which read: “Unapologetically ballsy and brave, Kneecap has no business being as good as it is – not only one of the standout films of 2024, but arguably one of the best music biopics of all time. So, with much thought and time to percolate, here’s your full analysis: Holy shit, fuck me, what a film.”
