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The past few days have seen appalling police attacks on journalists covering protests,incl arrest of @CNN reporter Omar Jimenez, journalists from Wave News @Reuters @dwnews shot at with rubber bullets & a @DMRegister journalist in a police cell now. Here’s what @POTUS has to say. https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1267132763116838913
Here are some details of what journalists have been facing in covering the #GeorgeFloyd protests. You’ve probably seen the shocking footage of the arrest of @OmarJimenez @CNN & crew, mid-live-report https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1266318219712872448?s=21 @GovTimWalz later apologised https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/29/cnn-reporters-covering-minnesota-riots-arrested-live-on-air-288575 2/
In his apology @GovTimWalz recognised that one reason the arrest of a reporter is so serious is that it tells the local community that something is going to happen which the police don’t want to be seen. That’s the message it sends to #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd protestors. 3/
Yet that message continues to go out,as does a message to the media that they should not cover the protests or police brutality. Some of the many examples of reporters shot: @mollyhf @latimes https://twitter.com/mollyhf/status/1266911382613692422?s=21 Stefan Simons @DeutscheWelle @dwnews https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1267119897806397442?s=21 4/
2 members of a @Reuters crew, @JulioCesrChavez & Rodney Seward, were hit by rubber bullets in Minneapolis on Saturday night. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-protest-update-idUSKBN237050 Look at Julio-César’s feed. It’s clear they were targeted, not the only ones & that many protestors hit https://twitter.com/juliocesrchavez/status/1266980841441419265?s=12 5/ https://twitter.com/juliocesrchavez/status/1266980841441419265
And look at the feed from @MichaelAdams317 @vicenews: police raided the gas station he was at, threw him to the ground despite him shouting “press” repeatedly & raising his press card, & he was pepper sprayed in the face whilst being held down. https://twitter.com/michaeladams317/status/1266945268567678976?s=12 6/ https://twitter.com/michaeladams317/status/1266945268567678976
Julio-César & Michael make clear that the unjustified attacks on journalists are indicative of unjustified attacks on members of the public. Michael highlights this family, simply trying to protect their gas station from looters, who ended up being targeted by armed police. 7/ https://twitter.com/michaeladams317/status/1267001665040912384
Local, national & foreign journalists have all been attacked. They include Canadian CBC‘s @OrmistonOnline, hit whilst reporting in #Minneapolis (see her feed & @WendyMesleyCBC). As @coelasquid points out, she’s reported from war zones - but this is the 1st time she’s been hit. 8/ https://twitter.com/coelasquid/status/1267083003756347392
I mentioned in the 1st tweet @andreamsahouri of the @DMRegister, imprisoned after being detained whilst covering protests in #DesMoines. She broadcast her arrest from the back of a police van https://twitter.com/andreamsahouri/status/1267261446402052097?s=12 & see report https://twitter.com/dmregister/status/1267292122719322112?s=21 She’s now been released. 9/ https://twitter.com/andreamsahouri/status/1267261446402052097
The @uspresstracker is documenting attacks on journalists during #GeorgeFloyd protests (now so many examples they no longer fit on their home page) https://twitter.com/uspresstracker/status/1266932228539535361?s=21 And @RSF_inter (of which I am proud to be a UK Advisory Board member) & @pressfreedom tracking attacks. 10/
This administration is openly contemptuous of journalists. @POTUS has called the press “the enemy of the people” & repeatedly slurs public interest,accurate reporting as “fake news” https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/437610-trump-calls-press-the-enemy-of-the-people This culture of contempt for the press directly links to these attacks 11/
Far from being concerned his earlier words may have fanned flames & led to these attacks, @POTUS is doubling down. He’s even used “enemy of the people” again, in connection with #GeorgeFloyd. Make no mistake. This is White House endorsement of state violence against the press.12/ https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1266799941273350145
