Protesters are demanding press freedom after the channel’s most-watched programmed, run by a Netanyahu critic, was cancelled [GETTY]
A group of protesters demonstrated outside an art gallery in the UK after a TV network owned by the country’s second wealthiest man cancelled a program to appease Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters are accusing the owner of Israel’s Channel 13, Len Blavatnik, of dropping shows which were critical of the Israeli prime minister, who had been accused of war crimes in Gaza.
The protest took place outside the Tate Modern building, where a new extension, originally called the Switch House, was renamed the Blavatnik Building in honour of Blavatnik after he made a significant donation to the gallery.
WeDemocracy, the group organising the protest, said the rally was in solidarity with the network’s journalists and to defend press freedom.
Protesters were chanting: “Blavatnik, don’t mess with freedom of the press”, while some wore masks of Blavatnik’s and Netanyahu’s faces.
The billionaire appointed Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich as head of the news network, who is believed to be allied with Netanyahu.
As part of a network shakeup, the channel’s most-watched programme, Warzone, was cancelled, a move its staff labelled “politically meddling”.
The programme was run by a political correspondent and critic of Israeli Prime Minister Raviv Drucker.
The reporter had exposed scandals about the current prime minister, including corruption, which had gotten Drucker berated, sued and almost fired by Netanyahu.
Similar protests were also taking place outside the Blavatnik School of Government, founded by the billionaire, at Oxford University.
Israel’s Channel 13 is known for allegedly critiquing Netanyahu and its handling of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has since killed over 38,983 Palestinians – mostly women and children.
However, Blavatnik is reportedly good friends with Netanyahu, and according to Haaretz, the current Prime Minister suggested that Blavatnik purchase the network to create an “Israeli Fox News”.
In 2020, Channel 13 fired over 40 journalists, alleging it was over their critical coverage of Netanyahu. Reporters Without Borders said the annexation “threatens investigative journalism and pluralism” and believed it was politically motivated.
Other protests have been spurring in Israel, calling for the Israeli prime minister to accept a peace deal with Hamas that would see Israeli captives return home.
