In front of the Journalist’s Home in Zagreb, the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists and the Croatian Journalists’ Association organized a vigil for colleagues killed in Palestine.
“Almost a hundred people, our colleagues, have been killed since the beginning of the war. We are not silent observers, we know, we see, we listen and we send our solidarity and support to the people who are doing everything that they can so that the truth reaches the public,” said the president of the TUCJ and European Federation of Journalists Maja Sever. She added that journalists and civilians should not be targets and called for a cease-fire, and end to the killing and bloodshed in Gaza.
“With this symbolic act, from Zagreb and Croatia, we are sending a message of solidarity to the families of our murdered colleagues who, regardless of nation and religion, suffer every day while doing their job,” said HND President Hrvoje Zovko. He also said that journalists in Gaza were chosen as deliberate targets and added that it is hard to believe that they were accidentally killed, considering the number of victims, which is terrible.
During the morning our colleagues in Rijeka and Osijek also lit candles for killed journalists.
According to the latest data, as of October 7, 2023. 99 journalists and media workers were killed. The vast majority of them, 92, are Palestinians. Four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists who were just doing their job were also killed.
Unfortunately, we in Croatia also know how painful it is to lose colleagues who were just doing their job. That is why this vigil, which was called by the International Federation of Journalists, was held in front of the memorial plaque to colleagues who were killed during the Homeland War.
We are aware that lighting candles will not stop the bloodshed, but we would be neither people nor colleagues if we were not outspoken to say clearly and loudly that journalists and civilians are not targets of war, and to send our colleagues in Palestine deep expressions of respect and sympathy for the suffering they are going thru, together with their families and compatriots.