Three journalists working with three news outlets, Kerr Fatou, The Gambia Talent Promotion and Paradise Radio have allegedly been assaulted by the Barrow Youth Movement and the Barrow Fans Club at Janjanbureh Ferry Crossing Point.
It
happened when the journalists were busy filming a mob who were complaining for
not having transportation to follow the president after having paid their fares
to follow Mr. Barrow from CRR to LRR.
Ebrahim
Jambang, a journalist from The Gambia Talent Promotion, confirmed that the
incident happened while he was filming when an angry mob, mainly youth who were
lodging their complaints to the governor about transportation constraints.
He
alleged that an individual from the Barrow Youth Movement snatched and
destroyed his camera and asked him to stop the filming.
“I
was only filming the angry youth crowd who were complaining about lack of transportation
to follow the president after paying their own fares from CRR to LRR. Then one
individual from Barrow Youth Movement went, snatched my camera and destroyed
it, he said.
Sally
Jobe, a journalist from Kerr Fatou, said she was also assaulted by a language
translator of a particular minister on the tour, saying the perpetrator knocked
her on the chest.
“I
was only doing my work as a camera woman. The youths were complaining to the
governor that they did not have any transportation to follow the president
after paying their fares to meet him. How can I do my work when my camera is
being destroyed,” she queried.
Similar
fate befell Landing Ceesay of Paradise FM, our correspondent said.
Fajara, 21st November 2019: The Gambia Press
Union has been informed of a disturbing news from journalists covering the
ongoing Meet the People’s Tour of President Adama Barrow.
The Union has been informed that Sally Jobe of
Kerr Fatou, Ebrahim Jambang of Gambian Talents Promotion and Landing Ceesay of
Paradise FM have been physically and verbally assaulted by the supposed members
of the delegation or supporters of President Barrow.
The incident happened Thursday afternoon at
Janjanbureh-Lamin Koto ferry crossing point when the journalists began to film
a protest by some members of the entourage who were not happy with certain
logistical arrangement.
It was at that point that the perpetrators
advanced towards the journalists hauling insults and eventually physically
assaulted them. Landing said he was hit
on his chest. A phone in Sally’s
possession has been broken after it was smashed as she was taking video of a
man who was insulting her parents.
Commenting on the incident, GPU President
Sheriff Bojang Jr said: “When we first got the news, I reached out to the
Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the President, and the
Spokesperson of the government to express our concerns to them.
“They both expressed regret over the incident
and also apologised on behalf of the presidency.”
Meanwhile, the GPU is disturbed by this and is
worried about the safety of journalists covering the tour.
“We will continue to engage the presidency on
the safety of journalists to make sure that the safety and security of
journalists on the ground are guaranteed,” the president said.
The GPU calls on the authorities to swiftly
act to investigate the matter.
Read Other Articles In Article (Archive)
