By IndiaTomorrow.net,
Paris, 13 Jan 2015: It may sound ironic rather hypocrite that a person is forced to apologize for saying a factually correct and peaceful sentence during a Freedom of Speech rally but it really happened. During the massive Sunday rally in support of Freedom of Speech and Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, Tim Willcox, a reporter for BBC News and BBC World News, interviewed a woman. When the woman marcher, during the interview, expressed fears about Jews being persecuted in the modern day, Willcox reportedly raised the issue of suffering of Palestinians at the hands of Jews. Even though there was nothing factual error in his comment and he had made this during the Freedom of Speech march, the BBC journalist was subjected to huge criticism, and ultimately he had to apologize.
According to London-based Telegraph daily, when the woman protestor, during the interview, expressed fears about Jews being persecuted in the modern day, Willcox brought up the subject of Israel and Palestine. “Many critics of Israel’s policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well…You understand everything is seen from different perspectives,” the daily quoted Willcox as saying.
Willcox had been part of the coverage of the rally against terrorism in Paris, in which members of the public carried signs saying “Je Suis Charlie.” The march commemorated the deaths of 17 victims including Charlie Hebdo staffers and four Jewish people killed in a siege at a kosher supermarket. The magazine staffers were killed in a terrorist attack apparently in revenge for caricature of Prophet Muhammad in the French publication.
For his Palestine comments, Willcox was roundly criticised by viewers, including historian Simon Schama who called the “hectoring” “appalling”, with some calling for him to be sacked.
A petition, set up in protest against his comments and signed by 143 people, stated: “It was the wrong time and place to ask such a disgraceful question….”
Willcox has now apologised. “Really sorry for any offence caused by a poorly phrased question in a live interview in Paris yesterday – it was entirely unintentional,” he tweeted at @BBCTimWillcox at 4:52 pm on 12 Jan.
