THE BBC was last night under growing pressure to perform a U-turn on its refusal to screen a charity appeal for Gaza, after rival broadcasters said they would show it.
However, the corporation's trust said it was "concerned" about the tone of some politicians' comments on the issue, which it said came close to "undue interference" in the BBC's editorial independence.
The corporation has been accused of "being co
mplicit in denying humanitarian aid" to the people of Palestine after refusing to broadcast a plea for emergency funds.
The pressure increased further when rival broadcasters ITV, Channel 4 and Five announced it would show the appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) film which is due to be aired for the first time tomorrow. Sky said it had yet to make a decision.
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson yesterday turned down a plea from the International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander to reverse his decision not to show the appeal, fearing it could compromise the broadcaster's impartiality.
That led hundreds of people to protest outside Broadcasting House in London while First Minister Alex Salmond accused the BBC of "running scared" and urged them to change their mind. He said: "This is the weekend when people across the world celebrate the legacy of Robert Burns, who wrote 'Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn'.
"The sole purpose of the DEC is to help innocent people who are suffering through no fault of their own."
UK Health Minister Ben Bradshaw claimed the decision was "inexplicable", while the Muslim Council for Britain said it would "severely jeopardise efforts to raise millions" for the aid effort.
"In sabotaging the DEC appeal broadcast, the BBC is clearly acting against the public interest," said a spokesman.
"As custodians of the public trust in the BBC its Governors must act immediately to avoid the blame of being complicit in denying humanitarian aid to the desperate people of Gaza."
The BBC Trust, which oversees the Corporation on behalf of the public, said it was not its place to make a judgment on whether or not the appeal should be screened. And in a letter to Thompson, the trust's chairman Sir Michael Lyons, said: "Our job as trustees is to give you the space to make such decisions and to protect your ability to do so.
"I am, however, concerned that the level and tone of some of the political comment your decision has attracted is coming close to constituting undue interference in the editorial independence of the BBC."
Previous television and radio appeals by the DEC have raised millions of pounds to help those caught up in war or affected by natural disasters in countries such as Burma and the Congo.
Former Labour minister Tony Benn also criticised the BBC's stance, and said: "The BBC raised £10m for the Congo and £18m for Burma. This decision is denying the aid agencies money they desperately need. People are dying in Gaza. There's an absolute crisis in Gaza."
Meanwhile, Alexander has also written to broadcasters in an effort to get the appeal on air and help what he called a "dire" humanitarian situation.
But the BBC head responded, saying: "We concluded that to broadcast a free-standing appeal, no matter how carefully couched, ran the risk of calling into question the public's confidence in the BBC's impartiality in its coverage of the story as a whole."
