More than 2,000 people joined a protest march in Sea Point, Cape Town, on Sunday, August 17, led by South African journalists and media workers demanding greater protection for their colleagues in Gaza.
The march, organised by Journalists Against Apartheid (JAA) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, came a week after an Israeli airstrike near Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital killed five Al Jazeera correspondents and a freelance journalist. Several civil society groups, including Mothers4Gaza, South African Jews for a Free Palestine, and Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine, also backed the demonstration.
Speakers at the event condemned what they described as Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists for reporting on alleged war crimes and acts of genocide. JAA denounced what it termed a “media massacre” in Gaza and criticised Western outlets for amplifying Israeli narratives while suppressing Palestinian voices. The group also expressed outrage at South African media houses for joining sponsored trips to Israel without disclosing funding sources, accusing them of compromising journalistic integrity.
Marchers called for the release of Palestinian journalists detained in Gaza and the West Bank, an end to Israel’s media blackout, and permission for foreign correspondents to enter Gaza. The emotional highlight of the protest came when Palestinian journalist Aziz Bakr read the final words of slain Gazan reporter Anas al-Sharif, drawing tears from the crowd. A solidarity letter signed by 25 veteran journalists will be sent to the South African government and the Israeli embassy. Since October 2023, at least 269 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to figures cited by Al Jazeera.