STEPHEN Flynn was forced to intervene after right-wing columnist Melanie Phillips made a “deranged rant” on Gaza on BBC Question Time.
The choice from the BBC to platform the author of Londonistan was questioned by many when it was first announced, with some on social media saying that her subsequent appearance proved why.
After Stephen Flynn spoke passionately about Gaza, advocating for an immediate ceasefire and hitting out at Westminster “silence”, Phillips argued that what the SNP Westminster leader said was “distorted and so untrue”.
She then denied that Israel was limiting aid to Gaza and claimed “hundreds and hundreds” of trucks were going into Gaza but were being “stolen by Hamas”.
This led to an intervention from host Fiona Bruce (video below), who highlighted that the United Nations and humanitarian organisations are claiming the contrary, with reports of children dying of starvation.
Why does the BBC keep giving a platform to a lunatic extremist like Melanie Phillips? Horrifying to see this cruel denialism of the unfolding human catastrophe in Gaza.pic.twitter.com/3pcMAgcb6N
— Martin O'Neill (@martin_oneill) March 14, 2024
Phillips then claimed that Hamas has “operatives” in the UN and are “compromised” – referring to allegations that some of the staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) were involved in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
She then went on to say that there isn’t a famine because you can “go on YouTube and see pictures of stocked food markets in Gaza” – which led to incredulous laughs in the audience.
Phillips asked: “Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s outrageous,” Flynn interjected. Bruce then highlighted that there are no timestamps on these videos.
Flynn then hit out at Phillips’s comments.
“If you want to look at pictures, I’m happy to send you photos and videos of civilians being bombed and slaughtered,” he said to applause from the audience.
The SNP Westminster leader’s intervention drew praise on social media.
“Extreme right-winger Melanie Phillips on #bbcqt on Israel-Palestine conflict dismisses Israel killing 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza as "collective punishment",” Gerry Hassan wrote.
He added: “Well done Stephen Flynn for challenging her deranged rants.”
Professor Martin O’Neill added: “Why does the BBC keep giving a platform to a lunatic extremist like Melanie Phillips? Horrifying to see this cruel denialism of the unfolding human catastrophe in Gaza.”
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