The BBC has agreed to pay £400,000 in compensation to an award-winning Jewish documentary filmmaker who alleged that she faced antisemitic harassment from colleagues and was forced out of the broadcaster after the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, The Telegraph reported.
Lucie Kon, 57, whose work at the BBC earned prestigious honors including an Oscar and an Emmy, said her treatment changed dramatically following the massacre in Israel, where she has family members.
According to Kon, colleagues described Zionists like her as “evil" and challenged her characterization of Hamas as a terrorist organization.
She alleged that she was told “if you want to call Hamas terrorists then you have to call Israel terrorists, too" and urged to “think about what drove Hamas to do what they did".
Kon said that after she formally complained about the conduct, the BBC instructed her to remain at home for months, excluded her from work, and ultimately eliminated her position.
She subsequently initiated unfair dismissal proceedings against the broadcaster, which agreed to the £400,000 settlement without admitting liability. The payment is partly funded by the BBC's television licence fee.
The corporation has declined to apologize or acknowledge that Kon was subjected to antisemitism.
Kon, who spent more than two decades working for the BBC, told The Telegraph that her Jewish identity had never been a source of difficulty during her first 22 years at the organization, but that changed following October 7.
“It was like having Jew stamped on my forehead," she recalled.
Among the incidents she described were disagreements over how the BBC should cover the Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival, where terrorists murdered, raped, and mutilated Israeli civilians.
Kon alleged that colleagues insisted a proposed documentary about the atrocities should “contextualize" the attack and demonstrate empathy toward the circumstances that motivated the perpetrators.
She also recalled a colleague describing as “disgusting" then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to a Jewish school to express solidarity and reassure the community.
When Kon proposed producing a documentary about October 7, she said she was informed that she could not supervise the project because her Jewish identity made her “too partial".
“They tried to stop me doing my job because I’m a Jew," she said.
After consulting a senior manager, Kon submitted a formal grievance about her treatment. However, an internal BBC investigation rejected her complaint, and a subsequent appeal was also unsuccessful.
The broadcaster later underwent a restructuring in which her position was eliminated. Kon applied for a similar role that replaced it but was unsuccessful.
She believes her willingness to speak openly about antisemitism and her support for Israel contributed to her departure.
“I think I became a problem. I think I made too much noise about being a Jew inside the BBC. I stood up for my community. I was open about being a Zionist. The BBC says, bring your authentic self to work. And I did. And I lost my job as a result."
Kon is believed to be the first former BBC employee to receive a settlement following allegations of antisemitic conduct by colleagues.
She also warned that the problems she experienced have not been resolved, claiming that other Jewish employees have left the broadcaster because of similar treatment.
Responding to the allegations, a BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster does not discuss individual employment cases but maintains a firm policy against antisemitism.
“While we do not comment on individual staffing matters, anti-Semitism in any form is not tolerated at the BBC.
“If allegations or concerns are raised, they are taken seriously and investigated in accordance with our policies. We have robust procedures in place to deal with any behaviour that is contrary to our values."
The settlement comes amid continuing criticism of the BBC's coverage of Israel and the war against Hamas, including accusations of anti-Israel bias and inadequate scrutiny of terrorist organizations.
In November 2023, the broadcaster apologized after incorrectly reporting that Israeli troops were targeting medical personnel during fighting in and around Gaza's Shifa Hospital.
The BBC also faced criticism over its initial coverage of an explosion at a Gaza hospital, which it wrongly attributed to Israel. The IDF subsequently presented evidence that the explosion had been caused by a rocket fired by Islamic Jihad.
The broadcaster later acknowledged that “it was false to speculate" about responsibility for the blast.
More recently, the BBC came under scrutiny over its documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone," after it emerged that the narrator was the son of a senior Hamas official.
Following the controversy, the broadcaster admitted that the production contained “serious flaws" in its handling of the program.