Open Letter to the BBC about the Gaza humanitarian appeal

A week after we debated the Gaza crisis in the Senedd, I accompanied Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Bethan Jenkins and Mike German as we delivered an Open Letter to the BBC at Broadcasting House in Cardiff. We are adding our voice to calls for the BBC to revisit its decision not to screen an appeal for humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza. You can watch the appeal and donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee at the Plaid website.

I asked AMs of all parties to sign the cross-party letter, and the following members signed up:
Jenny Randerson, Helen Mary Jones, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Nick Ramsay, Nerys Evans, Bethan Jenkins, Mick Bates, Dai Lloyd, Kirsty Williams, Peter Black, Mohammed Asghar, Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Mike German, Gareth Jones, Janet Ryder, Val Lloyd, Chris Franks, Darren Millar, Trish Law, John Griffiths, Christine Chapman, Irene James, Lorraine Barrett, Paul Davies and Mark Isherwood.

The letter is as follows:

27.01.2009

Llythyr Agored oddi wrth Aelodau Cynulliad at y BBC
Open Letter from Assembly Members to the BBC

I bwy bynnag a fynno wybod:

Rydym ni, sydd wedi llofnodi isod, yn Aelodau etholedig o Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Ysgrifennwn i ddatgan ein pryder a’n siom gyda phenderfyniad y BBC i wrthod darlledu apêl am gymorth dyngarol ar gyfer Gaza.

Nodwn rôl y BBC yn y gorffennol wrth ddarlledu apeliadau am gymorth dyngarol ar gyfer argyfyngau megis yn Darfur ac yn y Congo. Mae elusennau sy’n ymateb i argyfyngau yn dibynnu’n helaeth ar sylw ar y teledu i hybu eu hapeliadau ac mae sarhad y BBC ar y Pwyllgor Argyfyngau yn lleihau effaith yr apêl am gymorth meddygol yn sylweddol.

Ni chredwn y byddai ddarlledu apêl cyfangwbl ddyngarol ac amhleidiol yn cyfaddawdu didueddrwydd y BBC mewn unrhyw fodd . Yn wyneb hyn gofynnwn i’r BBC ail-ystyried ei safbwynt ar frys.

To whom it may concern:

We, the undersigned, are elected members of the National Assembly for Wales. We are writing to express our concern and disappointment with the BBC over the corporation’s refusal to broadcast an appeal for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

We note the BBC’s role in the past in screening appeals for humanitarian aid in other crises such as in Darfur and the Congo. Charities responding to crises rely heavily on television airtime to boost their appeals, and the BBC’s snub to the Disasters Emergency Committee considerably lessens the impact of their appeal for medical assistance.

We do not believe that the BBC’s neutrality would be compromised in any way by the broadcasting of a strictly humanitarian and non-partisan appeal. In light of this we are asking the BBC to urgently reconsider its position.