Hawwari, a Palestinian, is a member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) national executive council. Jiad, born in Iraq, has worked for the BBC Arab Service for 12 years. He won a court of appeal hearing on January 30 for a case of racial discrimination to be heard in full tribunal.

The BBC accused Hawwari and Jiad of making too many complaints about bullying and humiliating treatment meted out to employees by managers of the Arab Service, the largest section of the BBC World Service.

Hawwari issued an immediate statement declaring, "Anything we can fight back with, we will fight. We will not take it lying down." He accused the BBC of intimidating staff "not to rock the boat," and added, "The whole press machine of the BBC was turned on us.... The reason why they did this was to scare the hell out of everyone in Bush House," referring to the BBC World Service London base.

Jiad described it as "a political dismissal due to my Iraqi origin and my union activity in equal opportunity and antidiscrimination." Referring to an official BBC e-mail circulated to producers and journalists, Jiad said, "It is also motivated by biased political attitudes concerning Iraq." He said staff were instructed not to participate in a peace demonstration.

The NUJ has demanded the reinstatement of Hawwari and Jiad. Support has come from members of the Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) employed at BBC.

Dozens of unionists joined a picket of Bush House organized by the NUJ Black Members Council on February 25. A March 4 support meeting in London of NUJ and BECTU members decided to adopt an international campaign of protest letters, information flyers, pickets, and other activities. International contacts will be made for solidarity.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said, "The BBC has blatantly flouted all its own procedures, ignored its agreements with the unions, and denied natural justice in this case." The NUJ website notes that "for years there have been disputes...over the discriminatory treatment of Arab staff, and over the coverage of Middle East conflicts." John Fray, deputy general secretary of the NUJ, said the BBC "left itself open to accusations of the World Service being lackeys of the government" by sacking two journalists when there is a war with Iraq on the horizon.

BBC, whose World Service program was originally named Empire Service when it began in the 1930s, is owned by the British government.

Messages of support for Adli Hawwari and Abdul Hadi Jiad can be sent to them at: The National Union of Journalists, Headland House, 312 Grays Inn Rd., London WCIX 8DP, U.K.  
 
 
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