BBC is mocked for calling French riots ‘largely peaceable’ whereas displaying movies of Paris in flames and thugs preventing police
The BBC has been mocked for describing the France riots as ‘mostly peaceful’ as background footage showed Paris in flames and masked thugs battling police.
A report on the corporation’s flagship News At Ten, covering the weekend of nationwide rioting and looting, has been accused by some viewers of downplaying the carnage.
The coverage from the French capital on Sunday night’s show included the BBC’s Paris correspondent, James Waterhouse, describing the protests as ‘mostly peaceful’.
His words came as a voiceover to footage of fights in the streets between masked thugs and police, fires, explosions and looters attacking a wine shop.
Demonstrations began over the cost-of-living crisis, education standards and President Emmanuel Macron‘s government, but they swiftly descended into anarchy.
Several cities, including Paris, have now banned protests while the government considers declaring a state of emergency.
Waterhouse, speaking on Sunday’s News At Ten, said: ‘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.
The BBC’s Paris correspondent James Waterhouse filed a report on the riots engulfing the country for Sunday’s News At Ten, calling the protests ‘mostly peaceful’
The backdrop was footage of carnage, including street fires such as this one in the heart of Paris at the Place de la Republique
‘The shops that have been hit have been completely gutted, like this wine shop has been looted top to bottom.
‘And this morning, in Paris and across France, there is an anger – few believe this was at the hands of the genuine protesters, but down to an opportunistic minority who came in and sought to rob and cause carnage.’
Viewers have questioned the phrasing, with some accusing the corporation of playing down the extent of the widespread chaos and how many violent offenders were taking part.
Writer and broadcaster Emma Trimble posted: ‘If it were not for social media, we would have no idea what is going on in France. The BBC are still claiming it is “mostly peaceful”.’
Another wrote: ‘Mostly peaceful protests is how the BBC described the unrest in France. Another narrative to gaslight millions.’
Comments on the BBC News channel on YouTube, underneath the video shared, included: ‘Mostly Peaceful… Lets ignore the looting, burning down of buildings, cars, and bikes on the street.’
Another viewer said: ‘How can a state broadcaster possibly say any of the above was “mostly peaceful” – this is utter nonsense.’
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice, whose party wants to scrap the licence fee, said: ‘The BBC is broken. Calling the riots in France “mostly peaceful” tells you everything you need to know.’
Others took issue with how the 19th century town hall in Limoges was described as ‘badly damaged’ by News At Ten presenter Jane Hall after it was engulfed in flames and collapsed on Saturday, with one viewer responding: ‘That town is completely destroyed, not damaged.’
The report that followed told how the building was ‘devoured by flames’.
Burning cars, ransacked shops and street battles involving rioters were shown
The 19th century town hall in Limoges was set ablaze, with its belltower and belfry collapsing
Jane Hill on Sunday night’s edition of the BBC’s News At Ten described the town hall as ‘badly damaged’
Police officers clashed with protesters in the French capital on Saturday
A man taking part in the protests that turned into riots runs past a burning car in Paris
A rioter films himself as he uses an iron bar to smash the window of an Adidas store at Châtelet-Les Halles in Paris on Sunday
Sunday night’s report from Paris featured interviews with victims of the violence, including owners of shops that had been ransacked and a woman who was injured, who believed she had been hit in the face with an iron bar.
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘No one watching, reading or listening to BBC News coverage of the France protests and riots can be in any doubt as to what was happening – there is coverage of the fires, the looting and violence.
‘James Waterhouse and the team of reporters in France over the weekend gave broader context to the protests and riots – making the point that, as well as the destructive scenes, several hundred thousand people were on the streets in peaceful protest, and those carrying out the violence and looting were a small fraction of that number.’
About 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend and authorities said thousands of businesses were damaged or looted.
President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called ‘unrestrained violence’ by ‘insurrectionist elements from radical far-Left groups, joined by numerous criminals’.
Paris police issued an overnight curfew on Monday in two areas of the French capital aimed at protecting ‘people and property from the violence and looting’, the city’s police said in a statement.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had earlier called for ‘very limited’ and ‘localised’ curfews.
He said in a post on X today: ‘The targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of last night.’
He added that such measures could be extended ‘where the situation requires it’.
