Watershed denies anti-Israel bias

The Watershed has denied political bias after being accused of anti-Israel programming over films screened on the conflict with Palestine.

Conservative Party councillor Richard Eddy is due to ask Bristol mayor George Ferguson to step in after claiming the charity was “censured” by the Charity Commission for its programming.

Watershed managing director Dick Penny issued a robust denial of the charges, suggesting Eddy was being misleading.

“I would like to be very clear that Watershed has never, I repeat never, been censured by the Charity Commission,” he said.

“Watershed is extremely concerned about the implications of this statement. Our role is to showcase contemporary culture in all its diversity without political bias of any kind.”

The Watershed, which is part funded by the council, received a complaint about its programming and involvement in the Bristol Palestine Film Festival between 2011 and 2014, the Palestine Film Festival Presents series, and the screening of The Last of the Unjust.

The complaint also included reference to hosting Encounters, the annual short film and animation festival which refused funding from the Israeli embassy based on the Gaza conflict.

The venue was accused of breaching Charity Commission rules on political neutrality, ignoring its diversity standards and taking an anti-Israel stance.

The complaint was referred to the Charity Commission who assessed the circumstances and sent the Watershed a letter.

The Charity Commission refused a request from Bristol24/7 to see the letter. “We received a complaint about the charity. We wrote to the trustees and drew their attention to our guidance and recommended that they review whether they need to look more closely at some of the events that they hold,” a spokesperson said.

The Watershed said it would not release the letter without the commission’s approval. However, it released one excerpt which says: “Having reviewed the complaint, we do not consider that the charity in showing Palestinian films, or running Palestinian film festivals, has become political and we do not intend making enquiries about, for example, whether the screening of The Last of the Unjust contributes to an anti-Israeli agenda.”

But in a statement released on Wednesday, Eddy, councillor for Bishopsworth, also claims that Charity Commission case officer Mazeda Alam told the Watershed: “The charity has either strayed into political activity, or has enabled this perception to be reached, through events such as the opening night of the Palestinian Film Festival.

“We consider that the discussion as recorded on the transcript you provided was not representative of the divergent views on the subject, and that it strayed away from content related to the charity’s objects (film as visual art) into expressions of political views.”

Eddy, who will raise his concerns with the mayor at a meeting of full council on Tuesday, November 10, added: “Shockingly, there has been a huge increase in crimes and discrimination against Jewish people in Britain and Europe in recent years, often camouflaged under the guise of adopting political opposition to Israel.

“I am saddened to discover this blatant bias has now been found at the heart of Bristol’s cultural scene – and confirmed officially by the Charity Commission’s written reprimand against the Watershed.

“I hope to hear from the Mayor that he completely disapproves of this poisonous attitude and will be seeking to ensure there is no repetition of this at December’s programmed Palestinian Film Festival.”

Penny said in response: “I want to be very clear that Watershed has not been ‘censured’ or found to be ‘politically biased’ by the Charity Commission.

“We are surprised by the quotes which have been issued to the media as these do not reflect the correspondence received by Watershed from the Charity Commission as a result of our bringing the complaint to their attention.”

The Watershed receives £104,906 per year in grants from Bristol City Council as a Key Arts Provider; £744,289 per year from Arts Council England as a national portfolio organisation; and various other funding including from the National Lottery and BFI.