NUJ members hold vigils and protests for colleagues killed in Gaza
Following the killing of five Al Jazeera staff and a freelance photojournalist by Israeli forces on Sunday, NUJ members across the UK and Ireland are holding emergency vigils and protests in solidarity with colleagues killed.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) at least 196 journalists and media workers - including 181 Palestinians - have been killed since 7 October 2023, making this the deadliest war for our profession in recent history.
The NUJ has deplored the killings and supported calls for an investigation into the actions of the Israel government. The union is also encouraging chapels and branches to hold solidarity vigils at branches and workplaces over the coming days to protest against the killing of colleagues in Gaza.
Dublin
Yesterday evening more than 250 people gathered in the centre of Dublin for a protest vigil organised by NUJ members in solidarity with Al Jazeera journalists killed in a targeted attack sanctioned by the Israeli government. Emma O'Kelly, Dublin Broadcasting branch chair, told the vigil there was no justification for the actions of Israel and no evidence to support the claims that any of the journalists were agents of Hamas.
Séamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, said the killings were an obscenity. Civilians not linked to Al Jazeera had also been killed in the attack, treated as collateral damage. Dooley echoed calls for an international investigation into Israel's ongoing targeting of journalists, pointing out that the NUJ and IFJ have for many years been demanding into previous targeting of journalists.
© John McElroy
Oonagh Smyth, RTÉ Current Affairs branch chair, read profiles of the dead journalists while Anas al-Sharif's will was read by freelance journalist Stephen Bourke. An emotional address was given by Palestinian journalist Dr. Asad Abushark, who recalled his personal and professional memories of al-Sharif. Abushark said the killing of the journalists was part of a policy of the government to silent the media.
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