Guardian deletes online review that criticises the ‘demonisation’ of Hamas (2024)

The Guardian has removed an online review of a Channel 4 documentary about 7 October that criticised the negative portrayal of Hamas terrorists and confirmed to Jewish News on Friday that it “won’t be making any further comment at this time.”

In his review ofOne Day in October, which depicts the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri using CCTV footage, Stuart Jeffries writes: “[The documentary] does a good job of demonising Gazans, first as testosterone-crazed Hamas killers, later as shameless civilian looters, asset-stripping the kibbutz while bodies lay in the street and the terrified living hid.”

Jeffries also complains that the programme does not help viewers understand “why” Hamas wanted to murder civilians.

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In a statement to Jewish News, a spokesperson for the newspaper said: “The article did not meet our editorial standards and we have removed it pending review. The independent readers’ editor will be responding to a number of readers who have raised concerns.”

Jeffries’ comments sparked immediate widespread revulsion.

Dave Rich, director of policy at Community Security Trust (CST), the charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism, wrote on Twitter/X: “As if there’s something wrong with sympathising with an Israeli child cowering in fear rather than the terrorists coming to kill her.”

Journalist Hadley Freemanposted: “Does theGuardianunderstand this was a documentary? How very dare this documentary trick us by showing Hamas as murderous terrorists and Israeli citizens as relatable human beings?”

Simon Myerson KC wrote: “What’s fascinating about the review, given it went through the editorial process, is the light shed on groupthinkGuardian, which lacks morality because all those involved regarded Jews as in some way deserving of death.”

The writer and comedian David Baddiel posted: “It’s revealing. Because the obvious thing to say is not that the documentary demonises Hamas – it simply shows Hamas, through their own audio and footage – but that the documentary makes uncomfortable viewing for those who wish to believe that Hamas represents the Palestinians, both their suffering and their political purpose, rather than being inspired by Jew-hatred and violence. So the conclusion you have to come to is that the One Day In October was uncomfortable for the reviewer, perhaps for the Guardian.”