Far-right disturbances broke out across towns in the UK, triggered by an anti-immigrant disinformation campaign in the aftermath of Southport stabbings on 29 July. At least 120 people have been charged while 428 arrests have been made during the riots, according to a statement issued by the National Police Chief’s Council on 7 August.  

For more than a week, journalists have been in the streets reporting the unrest, during which news gatherers have been attacked, intimidated and their professional equipment destroyed. 

The NUJ has made available an emergency legal number for members covering the protests and recommended its Journalists’ Safety Toolkit, which has advice for reporters, photographers and videographers reporting the disturbances.

On 6 August, a vehicle of a photographer from the Belfast Telegraph, Kevin Scott, who was reporting on the scene in north Belfast, was attacked by a crowd of masked men, who damaged the car and tried to enter it.  

An agency photographer, quoted anonymously by The Guardian, declared that while he was looking through the lens of his camera at a riot in Bolton on 4 August, he was punched by a man who was part of a counter-protest against the far right. He saw it was an Asian man in a balaclava with a group of about 10 other Asian men, part of a counter-protest against the far right.

On 3 August, Belfast-based freelance journalist, Amanda Ferguson, was attacked while covering a far-right riot in the city in Northern Ireland. When Ferguson approached a protester that was filming her, the man called her a ‘traitor’ and smacked the phone out of her hand, damaging it. The incident is being investigated by the Police Service in Northern Ireland (PSNI).

In a statement, NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet, urged employers to ensure the safety of their staff, including freelance journalists. 

“These are some of the worst and most widespread public order disturbances in modern times that appear designed to terrify some of the UK’s most vulnerable communities. Journalists covering these events have also been subjected to wholly unacceptable violence and intimidation. Police and employers must do all in their power to ensure that journalists can work safely. Access to appropriate equipment and the ability to work in pairs, or with other backup is paramount, for freelancers as well as staff.”

IFJ Deputy General Secretary Tim Dawson said: “At a time when untrue information is rife, the work of journalists is all the more crucial, and is dependent on the ability of reporters and photographers to do their work. Those who attack journalists are attacking democracy, and undermining everyone’s right to know. They must be protected and safeguarded – just as should be the vulnerable communities who are targeted."