Rome, MINA – Dozens of Italian journalists and media workers staged a sit-in on Sunday, June 22, at Porta San Giovanni in Rome to protest and condemn the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip.
During the demonstration, participants held up photos of journalists killed in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. They called for respect for international law and demanded concrete action to end the genocide in Gaza, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory and the opening of access for humanitarian aid from the UN and other international organizations.
In their statement, the journalists declared that a genocide is happening in Gaza. They highlighted that the killing of 226 journalists is an unprecedented figure, even surpassing records from major 20th-century conflicts.
The statement also affirmed that it is thanks to the sacrifices of these journalists that the world has come to know the reality of what is happening in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel continues its efforts to impede international media access to Gaza and target Palestinian journalists and their families with deadly attacks.
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The demonstrators also denounced the media’s double standards in reporting on victims of Israeli violence. They urged Italian and European media to freely use the term “genocide” when reporting on the situation in Gaza.
Furthermore, they called on media editorial offices and official institutions in Italy to take a firm stance, stating that silence is no longer acceptable, and encouraged broader mobilization among Italian journalists.
The statement also appealed to Italy and the European Union, who are bound by certain international obligations, to take decisive steps to prevent and stop the ongoing genocide.
Finally, they demanded that Israel respect media coverage rights by immediately allowing international media access to Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. The denial of this access was deemed an arbitrary violation of the right to information and fundamental democratic principles. []
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