CiF Watch

Not the First BBC Cover-Up

October 21st, 2012

Did the BBC pull a documentary on the predations of alleged pedophile Jimmy Savile because it would have interfered with Christmas-season tributes to said alleged pedophile (and former high-profile BBC employee)? An investigation may show this -- or not. It depends on whether the BBC's top executives are willing to face reality... something that is not guaranteed.

Indeed, I find the usually astute Shiraz Socialist's quickness to suggest that this investigation is an example of the BBC's public service ethos, as opposed to hysterical damage control when caught red-handed, a bit odd. Charlie cleanly differentiates the corrupt commercialized executive from the pure innocent truth-seeking rank and file. I suspect the distinction is a bit more blurry around the office.

Meanwhile, BBC is still refusing to publicize the results of the Balen Report. An investigation in 2003 looked into the quality and impartiality of the BBC's Middle East news coverage following allegations of anti-Israel bias. Fighting Freedom of Information requests, the BBC has never disclosed the contents of the report. As UK Lawyers for Israel member David Lewis noted at CiF Watch back in February, "what could have been in the Balen Report to make the BBC fight so...More >>

Welcome to the Fight, BBC Watch

October 9th, 2012

From the same folks who gave us CiF Watch, we now have BBC Watch:

Its aim is to monitor BBC output on the subject of Israel with the object of ensuring adherence to the BBC’s own editorial guidelines and its legal obligation to provide accurate and impartial news, information and analysis to its funding public.

BBC Watch's Managing Editor is the insightful and hard-hitting Hadar Sela, whose dispatches we have been proud to publish. We wish her well in her new position. Congratulations also to the rest of the crew of CiF Watch for taking the fight to a new front.

Long overdue. Confusion to our enemies.More >>

The Global March to Jerusalem. A Cheap Shell Game Ruse by Middle East Despots and Terrorists

March 28th, 2012

As thousands are being murdered in Syria by the Assad regime and basic human rights are trampled upon by the fundamentalists in Iran, one may legitimately ask why the GMJ marchers are not marching on Damascus or Tehran. For that matter, you might ask why some of the most notorious terrorists and human rights abusers in the world are salivating at the prospect of jihad-happy "martyrs" throwing themselves at Israels borders in human wave attacks -- knowing full well that these mobs will likely be met with force.

If you think Israel would be out of line using violence against illegal intruders, try a little thought experiment: 2 million Pakistani "civilians" cruising towards the border with India; 10 million Mexicans simultaneously running towards Texas; 20 million Chinese going on a quick jog over the border with Russia; choose any two countries and imagine a massive migration happening in a single afternoon -- it doesn't matter whether the countries are friendly or not. In minutes, they wouldn't be... and Israelis are under no illusions already about just how friendly the people are just across their borders.

In reality, the march will likely include thousands, not the millions...More >>

Socialism of Fools. Andy Newman and Gilad Atzmon

October 4th, 2011

Hadar Sela in CiF Watch analyzes the Guardian’s decision to get socialist pundit Andy Newman to give his take on the subject of Gilad Atzmon's new book:

Gilad Atzmon is clearly a very extreme case; one would have to be either terminally intellectually challenged or willfully blind in order to not recognize his anti-Semitism and yet Andy Newman is now feted in Left-liberal circles for stating the in-your-face obvious. Why?

The second question is why Andy Newman? The man is something of a political butterfly, having flitted between various sub-factions of the far-Left including the Socialist Workers Party and George Galloway’s Respect before most recently ending up in the Labour Party. He is a prominent member of the Swindon branch of the Stop the War Coalition – an organization which regularly collaborates with Islamist fascists on projects such as ‘Al Quds Day’ and itself has a despicable history of promoting anti-Semites. On October 8th it will be holding a rally in central London at which known supporters of the anti-Semitic (and proscribed) terrorist organization Hamas such as Anas Altikriti and Mohammed Sawalha are billed to appear.

In other words, inviting Andy Newman to rubber-stamp Gilad Atzmon’s anti-Semitism is
...More >>

Another Take On The Scottish Whisky Counter-Boycott

June 20th, 2011

The Propagandist recently helped publicize a CiF Watch campaign to shame the Scottish West Dunbartonshire Council over its Hamas-friendly boycott of Israeli products. Part of the note included a link to a related boycott of Scottish Whisky, put together by the Muqata blog.

Indeed, there are indications the counter-boycott is working: Muqata author Jameel Rasheed notes that it "has already disuaded the Dundee council (this week) from voting in favor of a similar anti-Israel boycott, and all 3 distillers in the WDC region are already actively involved in getting the WDC to stop the anti-Israel boycott." It's hard to argue with success.

Nonetheless, Anton Goodman of the Haaretz blog has written a thoughtful piece offering a different -- and still sober -- perspective. I've included a lengthy excerpt below:

I do support the idea of specific and focused boycotts. It is a non-violent way to make your voice and displeasure heard. A company which pollutes the environment mercilessly; a hi-tech manufacturer which abuses its third world employees; even firms owned by groups which have a problematic agenda – these are all things I have considered boycotting. However boycotting a whole country seems a generalization
...More >>

Join CiF Watch. Fight Scottish Council’s Boycott of Israel

June 5th, 2011

Join CiF Watch's campaign to shame the Scottish West Dunbartonshire Council over its Hamas-friendly boycott of Israeli products.

The following appeal was received by email this morning from CiF Watch, providing background on the situation and instructions for how you can help:

In 2009, the West Dumbartonshire Council passed a motion boycotting Israel. The motion reads in relevant part:

"Officers should immediately cease the purchase of any goods we currently source, which were made or grown in Israel. Officers should also ensure we procure no new goods or produce from Israel until this boycott is formally lifted by WDC."

Publicity of the boycott recently came to light after the Daily Express reported that Scottish National Party led West Dunbartonshire Council ordered that its libraries ban any new volumes by Israeli authors, printed or published in the Jewish state. In a failed attempt to deflect criticism,...More >>

The Criminal Conspiracy of the Guardian and Wikileaks

January 15th, 2011

CiF Watch has the scoop. Rather than act as a passive reporter of news, the Guardian has been an active player in the one of the biggest criminal conspiracies of all time.More >>

CiF Watch. Exposing Anti-Semitism Online

September 1st, 2010

A year ago a blog named CiF Watch was launched, its mission being to monitor and expose anti-Semitism on the Guardian newspaper’s ‘Comment is Free’ website. It was born out of the frustration of ordinary people who were tired of writing unanswered letters of complaint and dissatisfied that their attempts to counter above and below the line bias and anti-Semitism were often deleted by the site’s moderators.

This unaffiliated, unfunded, diverse group of people was motivated to join forces and move from the defensive to the pro-active not only by the fact that a respectable mainstream media outlet was providing a platform where anti-Semitic hate speech thrived and multiplied to the point that the public vilification of Jews and Israel had become acceptable, but also out of an understanding that a society which allows hate speech against Jews will sooner or later turn on other minority groups as well.

Although CiF is one of the worst offenders, it is by no means the only mainstream media on-line news outlet failing to take responsibility for...More >>