The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), in supporting the proposed ‘March for Humanity’ across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3 in opposition of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, campaign of starvation, and slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians, including at least 175 journalists and media workers. The IFJ and MEAA call on the New South Wales (NSW) Government to facilitate the march and ensure the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest are upheld.
The proposed solidarity march across the Australian landmark on August 3, organised by the Sydney-based Palestine Action Group, has been blocked by NSW police, with the matter to be decided by the NSW Supreme Court on August 1. The protest has drawn support from hundreds of unions, human rights organisations, journalists, community groups, politicians, and activists, including the MEAA, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Jewish Council of Australia, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, and Human Rights Law Centre.
IFJ has consistently condemned Israel’s killing of more than 60,000 civilians, with the Israeli government deliberately using starvation as a weapon against the people of Gaza, including journalists and media workers. IFJ has cited evidence that the Israeli army has deliberately targeted journalists, with cases currently the subject of a complaint file before the International Criminal Court (ICC), and has placed a ban on all foreign media, citing “security concerns”.
In the most recent attacks against journalists, photojournalist Ibrahim Mahmoud Hajaj was killed as a result of Israeli shelling in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza City. On July 24, an Israeli airstrike killed journalist Adam Abu Harbid along with his family in the Yarmouk area in central Gaza City, and on July 23, journalist Walaa Al Jabari, who was pregnant, was killed along with her entire family in Gaza City.
Four major news agencies, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP), Reuters and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), warned on July 24 that local reporters face starvation and demanded urgent intervention, saying freelancers covering the 21‑month war endure “the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,” with little food or clean water. AFP called on Israel to allow for the evacuation of its Gaza-based reporters and their families.
The IFJ has worked closely with its affiliate, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), both before and following October 7, 2023, and continues to operate Media Solidarity Centres across Gaza. The IFJ’s Safety Fund is continuing to pay for medical kits, equipment, battery packs, and direct financial assistance to journalists and media organisations on the ground. Donations to the IFJ safety fund can be made here.
The MEAA said: “As the union for Australia’s media and creative workers, we stand for freedom of expression. MEAA supports the public’s right to peaceful protest, even when disruptive or inconvenient. MEAA calls for the NSW government to facilitate the March for Humanity across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
The IFJ said: “As the organisation representing over 600,000 journalists globally, the unprecedented killing of media workers in Gaza is an issue very close to the IFJ’s heart. As the killing continues unabated and the space continues to close for media, Palestinian journalists and media workers are the only ones bearing witness to the atrocities committed in Gaza. IFJ supports the fundamental right to protest and calls on the NSW Government to facilitate the August 3 march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”