Solidarity on International Day for Palestinian Journalists

Feb 25, 2024

The Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists Union stands in solidarity with our colleagues in Israeli-occupied Palestine. In the 140 days since October 7, nearly 120 journalists have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank — almost one per day. The increasingly scant resources available to Palestinians has exacerbated the conditions on the ground, making Gaza the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist.

To celebrate the bravery and critical work being done to cover atrocities by the Israeli military, the IWW FJU is joining the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists for an International Day for Palestinian Journalists on Monday, February 26. (Please see below for the original call from the PJS.)

In response to declining financial support for Palestinian journalists and coverage of the ongoing genocide, we advocate that journalists everywhere pitch at least one story about Gaza on February 26, and that our members and supporters continue to contribute to the PJS via the IFJ We echo the call to mobilize your union, newsroom or workplace to join a rally and speak out for the freedom of the press and the rights of all Palestinians.

Solidarity forever!

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS

On February 26, everywhere in the world, let's mobilize!

Ramallah, 21 February 2024,

Dear colleagues, Four months after the start of the war in Gaza, the PJS highly appreciate the mobilization and support received by free people, represented in different bodies, all around the world, which has a clear impact in supporting Palestinian journalists knowing that they are not alone and started to mobilize international community in taking actions towards the genocide taking place in Gaza.

Unfortunately, although the number of killed journalists and media workers, which has reached almost 120, is increasing and reaching an unprecedented level, donations through IFJ International Security Fund and other partners to PJS are less regular and much lower than during the first weeks of the conflict.

We know that each of you is mobilized elsewhere, in your representation bodies, but we encourage you to continue your efforts because the needs of journalists have become vital. In the middle of winter, our sisters and brothers and their families lack everything and especially the essentials: clothes, blankets, tents, food, water… The scarcity of these basic necessities in this small territory 40 km long and 5 km wide results in a surge in prices. And they can no longer afford them. We are also alarmed by the poor international coverage of the conflict, linked to the fact that international media are not authorized by Israel to enter the enclave and report on the reality there. It is the right of citizens to know the reality of the conflict in Gaza which is being violated, both in the region and in the rest of the world.

This is why the PJS in full cooperation with IFJ, the largest global network of journalists across more than 146 countries, invites you to mobilize the members of your union, journalists in editorial offices and media outlets, but also national organizations of workers on Monday February 26, for what will be the International Day for Palestinian Journalists. Rallies, speeches, public meetings, all opportunities are necessary to remind all citizens that the freedom to inform has a price, in Gaza more than elsewhere. Let us never forget that for four months, it has been journalists from Gaza who have been informing the world because this area of a few square kilometers has been completely closed. From an open-air prison, Gaza has today become a mass grave with tens of thousands of dead, missing and injured.

Finally, around the world at noon, this February 26, 2024, we will all observe a minute of silence for the journalists killed since October 7.

Send your photos, videos, documents published during the day to the communication department at PJS - we will share them through our website. Tag us on the social media so we can relay your actions:

Thank you again for your support. Today, more than ever, it is essential.

Regards,
Nasser Abu Baker
President of Palestinian Journalists Syndicate