Chris T, National Union of Journalists, Nottingham
Thank you everyone. It does feel slightly odd to be the one up here rather than the one taking the photographs. Yeah, it’s a chance for all of you to get your own back. 128 journalists were killed in 2025. 128 workers who went out one day and never came home. The overwhelming majority of these victims were deliberately targeted by fascist and far-right governments. 56 journalists were killed by the Israeli government in Palestine alone. And another 16 killed by Israel in the wider region. But Israel is not the only one committing war crimes. Because of the news blackout, we don’t know how many of the 30,000 people killed by the Iranian regime in January were journalists. In Sudan, seven journalists were killed by government forces, and across Central and South America, journalists have been killed by corrupt police and drug cartels. In Ukraine, Putin’s forces have adopted a new tactic and killed six journalists in drone strikes far behind the front line. The massive increase in the number of journalists being murdered should be of no surprise in a world where governments are increasingly moving to the far right. Journalists have always been on the front line against fascism because fascists never want people to know what they are doing. Fascists don’t want the public to see the corruption, the brutality, and the mindless violence which are essential ingredients of fascism. But fascism never starts with air strikes and assassinations. Fascism doesn’t start with arrests, like the arrests of over 80 journalists in Turkey in 2025. And fascism doesn’t even start with violent attacks on journalists covering political protests, like the 32 attacks on journalists in the UK in 2025 recorded by my own union, the National Union of Journalists. Where fascism starts is with politicians trying to avoid scrutiny. Politicians who don’t want voters to see the reality of their fake promises and hypocritical behaviour. Politicians like Reform’s leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Mick Barton, who banned local journalists after an unflattering news story was published. The journalists he banned were part of a scheme, paid for by your tax-pay, called the Local Democracy Reporters, whose very purpose is to provide free and neutral reporting of local councils. Thanks to the work of local journalists, local press, and the National Union of Journalists, Reform backed down in the face of legal threats. However, be in no doubt that Nigel Farage wants to copy the paedophile in Washington who has expelled journalists from the White House briefing room. So hear me, when I say the National Union of Journalists stands with each and every one of you in the fight against the far right. This is not just a matter of self-preservation. The trans people the far-right target work alongside us in the newsroom. The migrants the far-right target live on our streets. The disabled people they target are in our homes. In the fight against fascism, there is no difference between the workplace and the street because fascism is not a political issue. It is a fight for the very foundation of our society and journalists will.
