BBC pays £400,000 to Jewish filmmaker over anti-Semitism claims

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 06:07 · Archive

The BBC has paid Jewish documentary maker Lucie Kon £400,000 following allegations of workplace anti-Semitism and bullying.

The BBC has paid Jewish documentary maker Lucie Kon £400,000 in compensation following allegations that she was bullied out of the broadcaster and subjected to anti-Semitism. Ms Kon, an Oscar-winning filmmaker whose work includes Panorama and BBC Breakfast, claims that after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, BBC colleagues told her that Zionists like her were 'evil'. She said she was instructed to consider 'what drove Hamas to do what they did' and told that if she wanted to call Hamas terrorists, she should also call Israel terrorists. She further claimed colleagues said a documentary about the Nova music festival massacre should 'contextualise' the attack and that it was 'disgusting' for former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to visit a Jewish school.

After making a formal complaint about her treatment, Ms Kon alleges the BBC asked her to stay at home for months, then isolated and eventually removed her from the workplace. She subsequently initiated unfair dismissal proceedings against the broadcaster. The BBC settled the case without admitting liability, funding the payment partly through the licence fee. An internal BBC investigation did not uphold her grievances of anti-Semitism, and the broadcaster has not issued a formal apology to Ms Kon, who told The Telegraph that her religion had not been an issue during her first 22 years at the BBC.

How it is being reported

• BBC forks out £400,000 in compensation to Jewish filmmaker 'bullied out of broadcaster by anti-Semites'The BBC has forked out £400,000 to a Jewish filmmaker who claims she was bullied out of the broadcaster by anti-Semites. Lucie Kon, whose BBC work has been awarded an Emmy and an Oscar, says in the wake of the horrific October 7 attacks , she was targeted by colleagues who said Zionists such as her were "evil". The 57-year-old filmmaker said she was told that "if you want to call Hamas terrorists then you have to call Israel terrorists, too" and that she should "think about what drove Hamas to do what they did". But when she formally complained about how she was being treated, the…GB News · 26 Oct, 05:50
• BBC must 'pay £400,000 to Oscar-winning Jewish producer after she became victim of anti-Semitism and bullied out of the broadcaster'Lucie Kon claimed she was mistreated by BBC colleagues who said Zionists like her were 'evil' in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.Daily Mail · 25 Oct, 21:53

In this story: Lucie Kon · BBC · Hamas · Israel · Rishi Sunak

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