Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Times of London reporter Paul Martin: 'I was arrested by Hamas'
They had gone on strike at noon in protest against the killings in the rally yesterday, and they had made their way to a nearby police station where they were singing and chanting. In particular, they yelled: 'Shia, Shia, Shia,' which is a reference to Hamas being funded by Iran.
Within a few minutes, baton-wielding police laid into the girls. Some fell to the ground, but most ran away.
As this was happening, some other members of the police force grabbed me and dragged me into a cell. They pushed me against the wall, and one of the officers shouted: 'Hit him, hit him, hit him' in Arabic.
They snatched the camera from me, and one of the police officers urged his colleagues to break my camera. Then, my cameraman was dragged into the room too.
Another police officer, more senior than the others, eventually arrived and insisted on viewing the videotape that my cameraman had. I kept telling them that I was a journalist and that I would telephone the chief of police unless I was released, and eventually they did so.
Today's incident follows two previous incidents yesterday, in which my activities as a journalist were deliberately curtailed...
If one is in danger of being beaten for taking the wrong photo, or reporting on the wrong event or in the wrong way, how might that affect the coverage one might encounter of such a place where such things go on do you suppose?
Here's the article he was writing: Hamas carries out mass arrests and puts down Gaza schoolgirl demo
Hamas security forces in Gaza violently put down a protest by female pro-Fatah students, temporarily detained a British journalist, and arrested hundreds of senior Fatah members today, a day after seven were shot dead at a mass rally...
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, p.44
It seems, though, that Mr. Martin didn't hold back in the article he eventually did publish.
My hat's off to him -- a journalist willing to call a thug a thug, after being threatened (by that very thug) not to do so.
respectfully,
Daniel in Brookline