South West England NUJ

The South West England Branch of the National Union of Journalists has voted to issue a statement calling for action to protect journalists in the Gaza conflict.

The NUJ takes no partisan position on any conflict but the utterly unprecedented death toll in the past two months has led the union to call for a mutually-agreed ceasefire as the best option to halt this fatal tide, while also of course stemming the huge suffering seen across the region.

The branch will be holding a vigil for the 70-plus journalists who have been killed, along with many members of their families, from 6-7pm at Cascade Steps in Bristol Centre, on Friday December 15th.

A full statement of our position is below. We also support the statement by the NUJ’s General Secretary which can be found here.

Paul Breeden

Acting chair, SWE branch NUJ, on behalf of the branch executive

Targeting of Journalists covering War

According to the International Federation of Journalists more than 70 journalists (very possibly far more), have been killed in just over two months of the Israel-Gaza war. The vast majority have been Palestinians; four Israeli journalists and three Lebanese journalists have been killed.

This is a horrific and unprecedented toll; it is more than the number killed in the entire Vietnam war, which lasted 20 years. 

The South West England branch of the NUJ expresses its horror and outrage at this death toll. We are horrified too by the deaths of a reported 18,200 civilians, about 40% of them children, in Gaza, caused by Israeli bombardment; and the deaths of a reported 1,200 Israelis in the Hamas attack of October 7, in whichapproximately 240 civilians were taken hostage. 

We note that intentionally targeting journalists, and civilians, is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law. 

We believe that the role of those brave journalists who work to cover this conflict, and ensure that the world beyond the Middle East has a full understanding of events, is vital. 

The latest killings of journalists come against a backdrop of Israeli Defence Forces targeting journalists – among them Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in 2022 – which led the IFJ to bring action at the International Criminal Court.

The NUJ and IFJ have rightly condemned the Israeli government declaration that journalists could not be guaranteed protection as a breach of international humanitarian law.

We endorse the call of the union’s NEC to Hamas and all Palestinian authorities to respect human rights, and the rights of all journalists to report freely on the conflict, and for the Israeli Government and Defence Forces to act in accordance with humanitarian principles, respect the rights of the vast majority of residents of Gaza who played no part in these attacks, and to act according to international law. 

We support the call by Reporters Without Borders for foreign journalists to be allowed to enter Gaza, and to be able to work freely there. 

We call for all hostages to be immediately released with a mutual cessation of violence and a permanent ceasefire declared.

We condemn also the toll of deaths and injuries suffered by the families of journalists, including (for example) the death on December 11 of the father of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif at the Jabalia refugee camp, shortly after Anas Al-Sharif had received threats from Israeli officials via phone. Neither journalists nor their families are legitimate targets in war.

In her statement issued on December 5, Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, said:

“Most critically, the slaughter that we have seen, from 7th October to this day, should trigger an unprecedented international effort and commitment to negotiate and secure a just, sustainable peace and a future of respectful coexistence – one that delivers security, dignity and a future for all. In this future a mutual respect for free expression and unfettered reporting should be a key foundation.”