The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), stands in full solidarity with “B.T.” Danish journalist Claes Kirkeby Theilgaard and Swedish political reporter Inas Hamdan, working for “Sydsvenskan”, who have been threatened for their political reporting, including their coverage on demonstrations related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On 25 July, an unprecedented incident occurred when reporter Inas Hamdan was threatened at her residence by a crowd gathered outside her home in Malmö, Sweden. As reported by the journalist, they were protesting her coverage of the weekly Malmö rallies to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, shouting the reporter’s name and singing intimidating chants.
The following day, emails sent to Danish B.T. journalist Claes Kirkeby Theilgaard include threats to organise a similar demonstration at his home in Denmark. The journalist and his family were threatened with “consequences” in response to his critical reporting for B.T. on the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine political party.
Theilgaard told the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) that although he had been the subject of persistent online harassment and death threats for his political reporting, this was the first time he had received such a threat. The email even suggested to Theilgaard that the Swedish journalist Hamdan was lucky that the protesters had not entered her home, before adding that a database system was being set up to make it easier to identify the private homes of Scandinavian journalists warning of more incidents to come.
The authorities must do all they can to guarantee the safety of journalists and their families. Harassment of journalists covering demonstrations has been a growing problem in recent years, particularly around contentious and sensitive issues. Threats to journalists have so far mostly taken place at demonstrations themselves or online. While we strongly condemn all forms of intimidation in response to media reporting, the targeting of journalists at their homes is a particularly worrying development.
Therefore, It is of utmost importance that Member States fully implement the European Commission’s Recommendation on the protection, safety, and empowerment of journalists. In light of the disturbing threats, effective standard operating procedures or risk mitigation strategies must be put in place to protect journalists covering protests and demonstrations. It is also incumbent on Member States to guarantee the promotion and support of tailored in-house training by media companies for journalists and other media professionals, to avoid similar situations in the future. We strongly encourage media companies to conduct comprehensive security and risk assessments, as well as digital training, with a particular focus on data protection. This includes the safeguarding of sensitive information such as home addresses, which should not be made accessible to the public.
Furthermore, we request that the relevant authorities conduct a comprehensive investigation into the threats to journalists, which is in line with European legal standards. It is the responsibility of governments, lawmakers, and the judiciary to provide journalists with a safe working environment. Prosecuting these threats with the seriousness they deserve will prevent a climate of impunity and thus the proliferation of similar or new forms of intimidation aimed at silencing reporting of public interest.
The ECPMF and the EFJ will continue to closely monitor threats to journalists in the EU and candidate countries, who face daily harassment at demonstrations on all issues of public interest, and ensure that they receive timely and adequate support.
This statement was produced by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR). The statement was written without regard to political considerations. A threat to a journalist is an attack on press freedom.
