Journalists rally in London to support colleagues in Gaza
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Attendees holding a vigil for journalists killed in Gaza while outside the Downing Street office of British PM Keir Starmer in London on Aug 27.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Journalists in Britain rallied on Aug 27 in central London in solidarity with colleagues in Gaza, in the wake of two Israeli military strikes earlier this week that killed five journalists.
Members of Britain’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) gathered outside the Downing Street office and residence of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, delivering a letter demanding accountability and stepped up British action to protect media workers.
Attendees then held a vigil, reading aloud the names of more than 200 journalists that press watchdogs have counted as killed in Gaza since the Oct 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas and subsequent Israeli military response.
The Aug 25 strikes in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis killed at least 20 people, including the five reporters
The Israeli military said Aug 26 its forces were targeting a camera operated by Hamas in the assault, which has triggered a wave of international condemnation.
It is the latest military action by Israel that has killed journalists, leading to accusations that they are being deliberately targeted.
The NUJ announced earlier this week that its members would join sister unions around the world in what it called “48 hours of solidarity action in support of journalists working in Gaza”, which started on Aug 26.
“We’re here to show solidarity, and to show that we are horrified as fellow journalists about what’s happening,” said Ms Deborah Hobson, a freelance journalist and NUJ member who helped organise the vigil and letter delivered to Mr Starmer.
She called his centre-left government’s response to the latest killings of journalists, as well as prior incidents, “extremely poor”.
“There’s nothing that says that the UK is horrified,” Ms Hobson said.
“We have a prime minister who’s a human rights lawyer,” she added, referring to Mr Starmer’s career prior to entering politics.
“We expect better from a Labour government in any case, because of its historical reputation in terms of justice, equality.”
The British government has in recent months suspended arms export licences to Israel for use in Gaza, suspended free trade talks with Israel and sanctioned two far-right Israeli ministers
Last week, it was one of 27 countries to call on Israel to allow “immediate independent foreign media access” into Gaza.
Mr Mike Holderness, a writer and editor, said he had turned out “to honour and remember our colleagues, as well as demanding the strongest measures of protection” for journalists still working in Gaza and elsewhere.
“The vigil is to honour the memory of those who’ve given their lives to trying to report the truth.” AFP
