Hundreds of journalists joined demonstrations in Paris and Marseille on Wednesday to show solidarity with nearly 200 colleagues killed in Gaza since October 2023.
More than 200 journalists, including prominent members of the French press, staged a symbolic "die-in" in Paris, laying down on the steps of the Bastille Opera as the names of the nearly 200 victims were read out loud.
Many wore red-stained press vests and fake flak jackets and carried photos of journalists killed in Gaza while trying to report on the war launched by Israel following the 7 October attack by Hamas.
"Gaza has faces, not just numbers", read posters showing the photographs of their fallen Palestinian colleagues whose names were read out loud.
Youssef Habash, leader of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Europe, condemned what he called a "genocide" and demanded an end to the Israeli blockade on the enclave.
"There have never been so many casualties in our profession. The right of citizens worldwide to be informed is compromised," said Pablo Aiquel, Secretary General of SNJ-CGT, speaking on behalf of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said: "This gathering comes late, perhaps too late... I've never seen a conflict where when a journalist dies, they're called a terrorist."
Among the crowds, people waved Palestinian flags, some chanting “We will not be silent,” and “Free Palestine”.
In Marseille, about 160 people gathered at the Old Port. Names of journalists killed in Gaza were read before a minute of silence in their honour.
International investigation reveals 'attack on press freedom' in Gaza conflict
'Media blackout'
Since Israel launched the war on Gaza, foreign journalists have been prevented from reporting in the enclave, other than a few visits by international teams embedded with the Israeli army.
In a statement published Monday in Le Monde and on RFI, several media organisations including journalists' unions SNJ, CGT and CFDT, RSF, IFJ, and about forty journalists' societies or editorial teams including AFP news agency, denounced "carnage of unprecedented magnitude".
“The Israeli army is imposing a media blackout on Gaza to silence, as much as possible, the witnesses of the war crimes committed by its troops,” it read. “This intention to obstruct information is also reflected in the Israeli government's refusal to allow foreign press access to the Gaza Strip.”
The Gaza war began following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023, which resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures. Of the 251 people initially abducted, 58 remain held in Gaza, including 34 who are dead, according to the army.
Data collected by Hamas' health ministry puts the death toll in Gaza since the start of Israel's military response at 51,025 – data the UN considers reliable.
