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‘You are our hope’

SURVIVING journalists in Gaza welcomed our vigil opposite Downing Street on 13 August: “You are our hope.” More than 400 journalists and supporters gathered to mourn colleagues killed in Gaza and to demand accountability for their murder and protection for journalists in future.

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From a video by Lisa O'Carroll, who wrote: “NUJ vigil outside Downing Street for the 192 journalists killed in Gaza - brings home the scale of the atrocity.”

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** Honouring Gazan journalists, Downing Street, 27/08/25

Members held cards with the names of 192 journalists killed in Gaza - including the six killed on 10 August - and read their names out following introductory speeches from Branch Chair Pennie Quinton, Mariam Elsayeh, John McDonnell MP and NUJ General Secretary Laura Davison.

Pennie Quinton

Chair Pennie Quinton speaks

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Pennie Quinton addressed Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street. She welcomed his statement on 11 August 2025 that he was “gravely concerned” by the killing on 10 August of six journalists by the state of Israel and his government's call for an independent investigation.

But much more than concern and investigation is required. The Branch asks the Prime Minister to clarify:

  1. What steps his government will be taking to ensure that surviving Palestinian journalists in Gaza are able to continue reporting;
  2. Specifically, what steps his government will be taking to ensure that surviving Palestinian journalists in Gaza, alongside the rest of the population, have immediate safe access to food, water and necessary equipment;
  3. What steps his government will be taking to ensure that non-Palestinian journalists are able to enter Gaza to report alongside their Palestinian colleagues and that they are then able to report freely and independently and are not required to be “embedded” or otherwise under supervision;
  4. What steps his government will be taking to support an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the blatant targeting of journalists and media workers by Israeli forces;
  5. What steps his government will be taking to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, a UN recognised International Day, observed annually on the 2nd of November to spotlight the persistently high level of impunity for crimes committed against journalists worldwide; and
  6. What steps his government will be taking to ensure the passage of a UN binding Convention on the safety and independence of journalists and other media professionals.
Mariam Elsayeh

Mariam Elsayeh

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Branch Training Officer Mariam Elsayeh spoke movingly of the loss of our colleagues - in the case of prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif explicitly and admittedly targeted by the Israeli military. Al Jazeera camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, their assistant Mohammed Noufal and correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh were killed alongside Anas in an airstrike on a tent outside the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on 10 August; freelance photojournalist Mohammed Al-Khaldi was also killed in the same airstrike.

John McDonnell

John McDonnell MP, third from left

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John McDonnell MP - above, holding a placard with colleagues - introduced himself as Secretary of the NUJ's Parliamentary Group. He warned Keir Starmer and the rest of his government of the consequences of being complicit in the slaughter of journalists in Gaza, and of the wider population.

“The Israeli Defence Forces have for decades specifically targeted journalists. And it’s obvious why. Because they do not want the truth to be heard.

“When they report the truth, it builds the momentum of solidarity across the globe. And that is what we have seen. Millions of people across the planet have been demonstrating because they have seen the reports coming out of Gaza of the deaths, the bombings and the starvation of children.

“We are here to report the truth. And I want to say this: part of that truth is the complicity of our own government. Yes, we welcome the prime minister expressing grave concern. But we wanted outright condemnation of these murders.”

Laura Davison

Laura Davison speaks

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NUJ General Secretary Laura Davison said: “That the Israeli military openly admits to these atrocities brings into sharp focus the need for international action to end this impunity.

“We once again reiterate our call for the UK government, who claim to be committed to press freedom, to exert serious pressure to protect journalists, uphold international law and support an investigation by the International Criminal Court into the blatant targeting of journalists and media workers by Israeli forces. There must be immediate international action to end this obscene behaviour.

We then observed a minute's silence to honour journalists killed in that Gazan atrocity. After this members read aloud the 192 journalists' names from the placards they were holding.

We concluded with the Islamic prayer of mourning in absentia.

The event was widely covered in Middle Eastern media. Afterward we received messages from colleagues in Gaza that we are now translating. Come back and refresh this page for updates.

** Honouring Gazan journalists, Downing Street, 27/08/25

Coverage

Here is the coverage of the vigil that we have tracked down:

* PressTV Iranian state broadcaster - video interviews in English
* DawnNewsEnglish on YouTube
* Al Jazeera Arabic v1 video on youtube.com
* Al Jazeera Arabic v2 video on youtube.com
* AlArabiy TV video in Arabic, on facebook.com
* AlArabiy in UK video in Arabic and English, on facebook.com
* TRT Turkish public broadcaster - video in English, on instagram.com
* Al Jazeera English text update on aje.io
* Independent Urdu UK in Urdu on twitter.com
* Protests, vigils held worldwide over Israel’s killing of Gaza journalists aljazeera.com

Relatd coverage

* Gaza’s journalists are talented, professional and dignified. That’s why Israel targets them Nesrine Malik at theguardian.com
* ‘Legitimization Cell’: Israeli unit tasked with linking Gaza journalists to Hamas 972mag.com

Elsewhere

We are aware of vigils by NUJ members in:

We hear of NUJ events planned in:

Further afield, while looking for mentions of our own event we discovered this rather random selection of reports, with a bias toward the English language:

Al Jazeera English has video from Mexico City. Cape Town and Manila.

The European Federation of Journalists has a list of 24 open letters sent by affiliated unions to their governments, and notice of forthcoming events in Brussels and in Zagreb, Croatia.

© &

  • 16 August 2025 We updated information on other events.
* We honoured Gazan journalists report of our vigil on 27/08/25
* Remembering journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war
* 'When the only journalists are being slaughtered' teach-in report
* Open letter on protecting journalists and defending truth in Gaza write to Starmer & Lammy - nuj.org.uk