London: The BBC headquarters, located here, was splashed with red paint and a pro-Palestinian protest group has claimed responsibility for the incident that occurred early on Saturday.
The protestors accused the broadcaster of having “blood on its hands” over its coverage of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The organization, Palestine Action, which claimed to be behind the incident alleged that BBC was “manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes”.
“Palestine Action left a message overnight for the BBC: spreading the occupation’s lies and manufacturing consent for Israel’s war crimes means that you have Palestinian blood on your hands #ShutBBCDown,” the group posted on X.
The activist group uses civil disobedience tactics, primarily targeting the UK factories of the Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
However, the Metropolitan police said that the incident was not linked to a protest group and that no arrests had been made.
Victoria Derbyshire, a BBC journalist and presenter, shared footage on Saturday of the main entrance at Portland Place splashed with red paint. Just arrived at work. This is the front entrance to BBC this morning”, she wrote on X.
Broadcasting House was the starting point for a solidarity rally in support of Palestinians on Saturday. Protesters gathered outside the building before the march through central London and it commenced at about 1 p.m. The main entrance was cordoned off and law enforcement officers were present nearby.
The BBC has come under scrutiny in recent days for upholding its editorial stance of not to describe Hamas militants as terrorists. The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, clashed with the presenter Mishal Husain over the corporation’s refusal on Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, reports The Guardian.
A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “We are aware of criminal damage to a building in Portland Place, W1A. At this stage there is no suggestion this is linked to any protest group.”