ITANAGAR, 13 Oct: The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) on Saturday organised a solidarity vigil, in support of Palestinian journalists and media workers killed by Israel, at the Arunachal Press Club here.
Members of the union gathered to pay homage to and stand in solidarity with the fallen comrades in Palestine.
Condemning the systematic killing of journalists in Gaza, APUWJ President Amar Sangno said that Israel has killed at least 130 Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza since the war started on 7 October, 2023.
Also, four Israeli, five Lebanese and one Syrian journalist were killed, several were injured, and others are missing since the war broke out in Gaza.
“Our grief knows no border, as we express our shared grief and outrage over what happened with our fellow journalists during the war,” Sangno said.
The APUWJ joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Indian Journalists Union in expressing solidarity with the Palestinian journalists, and urged Israel to stop killing journalists.
On 10 October, the IFJ called on its affiliates across the world to organise solidarity actions to support Palestinian journalists wherever possible, so that journalism in Gaza survives.
The IFJ has been working closely with its affiliate Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to verify any information regarding the safety, war reporting and killing of journalists.
Of the 140 journalists, many were killed at home, in their apartments, because they no longer have a newsroom in Gaza to fulfil their responsibility of informing the public.
The IFJ in a message to its affiliates asked them to organise a vigil to support Palestinian journalists and media workers by sharing photos and videos on social media, using the hashtag #SupportPalestinianJournalists.
It also encouraged journalists to change their profile pictures on social media accounts to tell Israel to stop killing journalists and honour those who have lost their lives in the last 12 months of war.
The IFJ Brussels staff and representatives of its affiliate branches in Brussels convened the solidarity vigil on 10 October.
