BBC under fire for Panorama's 'blatant Israeli bias'

The BBC claimed it would show viewers "what really happened" when Israeli Defence Force soldiers stormed the Freedom Flotilla's Mavi Marmara ship and murdered nine activists who were seeking to break the siege on Gaza.

But viewers were struck by the programme's severe inaccuracies and the use of "fake footage," triggering them to swamp Panorama with complaints.

A Panorama publicist refused to disclose the precise number of complaints received since the broadcast last Monday, only confirming that by Tuesday over 100 complaints had been made.

After that he said people had been encouraged to complain by "clear examples of lobbying distorting the figures" and so disclosure would be against BBC rules.

A Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) spokesman branded the programme a "travesty" which portrayed the voyagers as "terrorists who set out to kill Israeli soldiers."

He said the Mavi Marmara activists were "particularly shocked" the programme had used "doctored" Israeli footage and presented it as though it was of the Mavi Marmara.

"It has already been shown to be fake and was a training exercise on a different ship," he added.

None of the Israeli assaults on commandoes was broadcast and presenter Jane Corbin failed to mention that activists' footage of the attack had been seized by Israeli authorities and not returned.

There was also no mention that Israel's siege on Gaza has been condemned by the UN as illegal, campaigners added, instead assuming that Israel had a right to blockade Gaza without questioning the motives of the blockade.

No autopsy reports were mentioned - despite the fact that they showed that murdered activists were shot repeatedly at close range, ruling out soldiers' claims they acted in self defence. Ms Corbin did not note that no Israeli commandoes were killed or seriously injured.

And she didn't question the Israeli position that it was the commandoes' "right" to board the ship, while the use of the word terrorist to describe the activists or their willingness to attack commandoes went unchallenged.

Footage of one of the activists saying he wanted his family to know that if he died it was for a good cause was used by Ms Corbin as evidence he wanted to be a "martyr."

Cliff Hanley, who was also aboard the ship, said: "I updated my will, it doesn't mean I intended to die.

"I thought maybe this will be the programme which will take care of a lot of misunderstanding. But I found it hard to take seriously, not least because they used computer game sound effects."

Questioning why Panorama kept the soldiers anonymous, Mr Hanley called for a remake of the programme which would be "genuinely unbiased."

He said: "Voyagers must be given the chance to answer the accusations and assumptions made by the Israelis."

The BBC rejected the accusations, saying: "We believe the programme was balanced and impartial, going to great lengths to give opposing sides the opportunity to air their views."

Last year the BBC came under intense criticism for refusing to broadcast a DEC appeal for the victims of Operation Cast Lead which devastated Gaza in December 2008 to January 2009.

PSC is urging people to use the BBC and Ofcom complaints processes which could eventually lead to an independent investigation of Death In The Med.

A PSC demonstration will be held on Whiteladies Road in Bristol at 1pm on Saturday.

On Sunday protests will take place outside the BBC White City studio in London at 1pm and Manchester's Oxford Road BBC studio at 1pm.