A BBC specialist advising on artificial intelligence previously defended Hamas terrorism as “resistance” and served a prison sentence for immigration deception, Britain’s The Telegraph reported on Saturday.
Hicham Yezza, principal data scientist in the broadcaster’s Responsible AI division, described Israel in a 2018 social media post as “an apartheid, nuclear-armed regime—one literally built on stolen land and ethnic cleansing.” In 2021, he characterized rocket attacks from Gaza as Palestinian efforts to “resist,” according to the report.
The Algerian-born Yezza was sentenced to nine months in prison in 2009 for deceiving immigration authorities about his right to remain in Britain. He successfully appealed deportation in 2010 and is now a British citizen. He joined BBC Monitoring in 2021 before moving into his current role, helping guide the broadcaster’s use of AI.
The BBC said Yezza had not breached its social media policies while employed by the broadcaster and had stopped working for Ceasefire, the pro-Palestinian magazine he founded, when he joined the corporation. “While we wouldn’t normally comment on individuals, none of this appears to relate to his time at the BBC,” a spokesman said.
