Australia has raised concerns with the US following “horrific” footage of a 9News journalist being shot by a rubber bullet as she covered the LA immigration raid protests, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed on Tuesday.
Footage of journalist Lauren Tomasi being shot hit social media on Monday, with the incident caught live on camera. In the video, an officer can be seen taking aim in the direction of Tomasi and her camera operator and then firing. The bullet hit her on the leg, and she yelped in pain as the camera panned off her, with the cameraman Jimmy checking to see if she was alright.
On Tuesday, a second Australian journalist, the ABC’s North America correspondent Lauren Day, was affected by police action while reporting on the LA protests.
“I then felt the unmistakable burn of tear gas — first in my eyes, then in my nose, lips and throat,” she said, per ABC News. “It really stings your entire face and makes it difficult to breath, until the point you almost want to throw up.”
British news photographer Nick Stern was also shot with a three-inch plastic bullet while covering the protests, as reported by the BBC.
Addressing the media at the National Press Club, Albanese said he had spoken to Tomasi, describing her as “pretty resilient”. He also noted the footage made it pretty clear that she had been targeted, despite identifying as media.
“It is not unreasonable to think that she could go about the coverage, clearly as people can see in the footage, clearly identified as media,” Albanese said.
“So we have already raised these issues with the US administration. We don’t find it acceptable that it occurred. And we think that the role of the media is particularly important.”
He stopped short of clarifying if the incident would be discussed with US President Donald Trump at the G7 meeting in Canada next week, despite domestic calls to raise the issue directly.
“Discussions I have with the president are discussions between myself and the president. That’s the way that I deal with people, diplomatically, appropriately, and with respect,” he said.
LAPD confirms it is investigating
Meanwhile, LA police chief Jim McDonnell said the LAPD was aware and “very concerned” about members of the media getting hit with crowd-control munitions.
As reported by The Guardian, when questioned at a press conference on Tuesday (local time) about the force’s plan to minimise injuries to bystanders, he said the force minimises it “through training [and] the equipment we use”.
“It is a target-specific munition. That’s not to say that it always hits the intended target, particularly in a dynamic situation,” McDonnell said.
“I know that situation you’re referring to, with the member of the media. We saw that, we’re very concerned about it and we’re looking into that.”
Tomasi has since confirmed she was “a bit sore, but okay”, telling Melbourne’s 3AW radio she’d been left with a “nasty bruise” by the projectile, which she said was about the size of a golf ball.
Nine — which wholly owns PEDESTRIAN.TV — confirmed the shooting in a statement.
“Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events,” a spokesperson said.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information.”
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) also condemned the shooting, stating Tomasi appeared to be deliberately shot while speaking to the camera.
“Journalists reporting from the frontline of protests and wars fulfil the essential role of bearing witness, and should be accorded the same protections as other frontline workers,” MEAA chief executive Erin Madeley said in a statement.
LA is facing its fourth day of protests over the immigration raids, and similar protests have sprung up in at least nine other US cities including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, per ABC News.
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