BBC criticised for calling French riots 'mostly peaceful'

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 17:57 · Archive

The BBC described riots in France as 'mostly peaceful' while broadcasting footage of burning cars and clashing with police.

The BBC's Paris correspondent James Waterhouse reported on Monday that riots engulfing France were 'mostly peaceful', though the broadcast undermined this characterisation with footage of burning cars, masked rioters, and clashes with police.

Waterhouse said half a million people had filled cities across France to protest over the country's future. He acknowledged that 'in the wings were those who wanted to take advantage of the disorder', adding that shops had been 'completely gutted' and looted. He attributed the violence to 'an opportunistic minority who came in and sought to rob and cause carnage' rather than genuine protesters. More than 2,400 people were arrested across France over the weekend.

The BBC's characterisation drew criticism on social media. The broadcaster's website also described the disorder as 'peaceful', a description critics said conflicted with the visual evidence shown in its own coverage.

How it is being reported

• BBC calls France protests 'mostly peaceful' as footage shows rioters torching cars, battling policeBBC News called France riots "mostly peaceful" as its own footage showed burning cars, looted shops and nearly 1,000 officers injured nationwide.Fox News · 19 Oct, 19:42
• BBC calls riots across France ‘mostly peaceful’ while showing masked looters torching cars and clashing with policeThe BBC has come under fire after describing the riots in France as "mostly peaceful" while showing masked looters torching cars and clashing with police. In its coverage of the disorder on Monday, the public broadcaster's Paris correspondent, James Waterhouse, told viewers: “In Paris and beyond, half a million people had filled cities across France to protest over the future of their country “They were mostly peaceful, but as we saw in the capital, in the wings were those who wanted to take advantage of the disorder." However, as Mr Waterhouse described the scenes as "peaceful", the BBC…GB News · 19 Oct, 17:42
• BBC calls France’s radical-left riots ‘mostly peaceful’ while showing cities in flamesThe British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has been mocked after reporting that the riots engulfing France are "mostly peaceful," while airing footage of masked looters torching cars and clashing with cops.New York Post · 19 Oct, 11:56

In this story: BBC · France · James Waterhouse · Paris

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