Len Blavatnik, the second-richest man in Britain, is facing a series of protests in the UK after his Israeli television channel was accused of cancelling programmes to please Benjamin Netanyahu.
Aviel Lewis, a London-based Israeli who is part of the anti-Netanyahu WeDemocracy group, said Blavatnik was known in the UK “as a patron of progressive culture and arts” and the British public was not aware that he was also involved in “something that is clearly taking Israeli media years back and corrupting it”.
Lewis is part of a group of Israeli citizens opposed to the Netanyahu government who are planning to hold protests on Sunday at the Tate Modern’s Blavatnik wing and the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of government.
Other cultural institutions featuring the Blavatnik name could later be targeted, with the protesters arguing that the billionaire’s media company is undermining freedom of the press in Israel.
Lewis said the oligarch should realise the potential risk to his reputation in the UK: “We want to make Mr Blavatnik feel uncomfortable.”
Blavatnik received a knighthood in recognition of his donations to British institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the National Portrait Gallery. He also controls a wide range of businesses including Warner Music – home to Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Megan Thee Stallion – as well as sports streaming company DAZN and London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket.
In Israel he owns a majority stake in Channel 13 News, a broadcaster that was known for being a thorn in the side of the Netanyahu government. It had been one of the few Israeli media outlets to air commentary openly critical of Netanyahu and the conduct of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Channel 13 News’ board last month appointed Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, a former politician seen as an ally of the Israeli prime minister, as its chief executive. Her arrival was swiftly followed by the cancellation of a popular investigative news programme hosted by the journalist Raviv Drucker, who had exposed a series of scandals about Netanyahu and a recent story about alleged corruption in the transport ministry.
The channel’s journalists are openly rebelling against the appointment, claiming it is a sign of Netanyahu’s growing influence over the media in their country. The liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz used an editorial to condemn the decision to take the show off air, calling it “purely a political decision, contravening all financial and journalistic logic”.
“This means one thing: Channel 13 has been conquered. The Bibi-ism flag flies over it, and a clear message was delivered to the subjects still employed there: you serve the government here.”
Anat Saragusti, who leads the freedom of the press division at Israel’s journalists’ organisation, told the Times of Israel that “what is happening at the Channel 13 News is part of a master plan to destroy the freedom of the press”.
Blavatnik’s stake in Channel 13 is owned by the oligarch’s Access Entertainment business, which is led by former BBC director of television Danny Cohen. It has also made high-profile investments in the film production company A24, the interactive art space LightRoom, and successful West End productions such as Hamilton and Cabaret.
A spokesperson for Access Industries said: “Sir Leonard Blavatnik believes in the importance of press freedom in Israel and across the world. He has invested a significant amount of money in Israel’s Channel 13 to safeguard its existence and secure the future of free, impartial journalism. The Channel has never had a political agenda – as is the law in Israel – and he has never had editorial input.”
“It is categorically not the case that Sir Leonard appointed the CEO of News. The decision as to who runs Channel 13 News is a matter for its independent board on which Sir Leonard has no role. Freedom of expression and informed debate are core values of the channel, and this will always remain the case.”
• Footnote added 21 July 2024: After publication of this article, we were contacted by a representative for Sir Len Blavatnik restating his view that “oligarch” is an incorrect description of him. The representative said Blavatnik, who is a UK/US citizen born in Ukraine during the Soviet era, has “divested of all his major Russian assets years ago”. Blavatnik has also stated previously that his “personal and commercial activities are not, and have never been, involved with Putin, Russian politics or the Russian government”.
