BBC forced to apologise after wrongly omitting Jewish people from Holocaust Memorial Day report
The broadcaster failed to mention that six million people killed by the Nazis were Jewish.
The BBC has been forced to apologise over its failure to include any mention of Jewish people from a broadcast on Holocaust Memorial Day.
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Tuesday, January 27, marked 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.
It is a day when people remember the six million Jewish people - men, women, and children - who were murdered by the Nazi regime and their collaborators.
But during a news bulleting detailing the BBC's plans to cover Holocaust Memorial Day, it failed to mention that the six million people killed during the period were Jewish.
“Buildings across the UK will be illuminated this evening to mark Holocaust Memorial Day to commemorate the six million people murdered by the Nazi regime more than 80 years ago.
“The King and Queen will host a reception for Holocaust survivors and their families. Organisers say that at a time of rising anti-Semitism, this is a moment to stand together,” a newsreader said.
Another introduction to a report on BBC Breakfast made the same ommission.
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The error sparked backlash from furious listeners - with many correctly pointing out that the six million figure relates specifically to the Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust.
The Nazis persecuted more than 13 million people over the course of the Holocaust, according to estimates.
Other groups killed include gypsies, disabled people, gay people and Soviet prisoners.
The BBC said in a statement: “This morning’s BBC programming commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day. The Today programme featured interviews with relatives of Holocaust survivors, and a report from our Religion Editor. In both of these items we referenced the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The Chief Rabbi recorded the Thought for the Day.
“BBC Breakfast featured a project organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust in which a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust recorded her memories.
“In the news bulletins on Today and in the introduction to the story on BBC Breakfast there were references to Holocaust Memorial Day which were incorrectly worded, and for which we apologise. Both should have referred to ‘six million Jewish people’ and we will be issuing a correction on our website.”
It comes after Jewish groups demanded an apology for the blunder.
Is the BBC trying to sever all ties with their Jewish listeners?
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) January 27, 2026
“Buildings will be illuminated to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, which commemorates the six million people murdered by the Nazi regime.”
Jews. It was six million Jews specifically.
Even on Holocaust Memorial Day,… pic.twitter.com/Z5hdAPnk8g
The Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote on X: “Even on Holocaust Memorial Day, the BBC cannot bring itself to properly address antisemitism.
“It is no wonder that an overwhelming 92 per cent of British Jews rate the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish interest as unfavourable.“This is absolutely disgraceful broadcasting. @BBC, we demand an explanation for how this could have happened.”
Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said: “The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. Ignoring that the victims were Jews, widening the figure to include all victims of the Second World War, or attempting to draw in contemporary conflicts, is an abuse of the memory of the Holocaust and an insult to victims and survivors.
“Any attempt to dilute the Holocaust, strip it of its Jewish specificity, or compare it to contemporary events is unacceptable on any day. On Holocaust Memorial Day, it is especially hurtful, disrespectful and wrong.”
Lord Pickles, co-chairman of UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation, slammed the omission as an “unambiguous example of Holocaust distortion, which is a form of denial”.
Why is Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27?
Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, which was on January 27, 1945.
A theme of the day is that genocides can happen again - with the world having already committed holocausts in the years since the Second World War.
“The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and discrimination and persecution must still be resisted every day,” a statement read.
“Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent. Wherever it takes place, including in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all.”
The theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day was ‘Bridging Generations’, which aimed to serve as a reminder that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with the survivors but lives on through their children and the community.