Inna Rogatchi (C). Octet in Blue. 2019.
So, there is a special media event for all accredited journalists working in Israel, organised by the Israeli government press-office in cooperation with the IDF. Full house. More than 200 journalists from all over the world, working in Israel. They are shown a 43-minute document with raw footage collected from the terrorists on-body cameras, their smartphones, as well as from surveillance cameras at the places of the carnage. The material is undoctored, to the degree. Some of it still cannot be demonstrated, in the IDF view, ‘due to the respect to the victims’. Some of it would be never shown, and it is related to mass rape, ‘because we cannot do it’. Period. IDF cleared only one on-minte clip for publication. But my colleagues, and some of my good acquaintances presented at the event saw it all. I spoke with several of them, and I saw the photos from the event. The photos of the audience.
Over two hundred professionals from all over the world, from the US to India, and from Norway to Australia, were totally shocked and completely terrified. As any human would be witnessing crimes against humanity in real-time. Men and women, young, middle-aged, and senior, it was a shock and disbelief in their terrified eyes. Many could not breathe. Many cried. I had an impression that men were taken even more. While female journalists tried not to cry, but were visibly paralysed, men did cry and were taken completely aback, with their hands covering their mouths to hold a scream. But silent screams were in the eyes of every single journalist presented at the event called “October 7, 2023. Hamas massacre. Collected Raw Footage. 43’ press-conference GPO, IDF”.
I do not know if any Finnish journalists were present at the event. Apart from one honest and brave veteran journalist Antti Kuronen who was allowed to report for just three days in an extremely abridged report, the media coverage of the October Massacre and its aftermath, as well as officialdom’s handling of the screaming situation in Finland is beyond pale. So, we decided to help my colleagues in the media and among public figures and officials, with fact-checking, and have sent to all of them, tens of editors, senior journalists, journalists bosses, MPs, MEPs, diplomats, government officials etc. the photos from the press-briefing in Israel illustrating the horror among hundreds of international journalists, and quite detailed description of what they were shown. Just trying to help all those self-blinded people to end the misery – and the shame – of this kind of self-imposed blindness. Perhaps, some of them will be cured. And all of them would know that people are not blind and they are taken accountable for their outrageous silence.
One of my colleagues, Amy Spiro, wrote a detailed report of what she and the rest of over 200 international journalists saw. Here it is – https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-shows-foreign-press-raw-hamas-bodycam-videos-of-murder-torture-decapitation/
It is just one but 101% documented evidence of what has happened. Many more eye-withness reports exist. Amy’s description of what the international journalists saw by their own eyes is a must read, especially for two category of people: so-called journalists professionals who are propagating pitiness towards ‘peaceful’ Palestinians and are so deeply interested not even in two sides coverage, but on one, and that’s the side of vile terrorists and their supporters of all kinds; and by anyone else who are being in a public domain – political leaders, government members, parliamentarians, public figures, etc. – preferred to keep silent on the worst atrocities that were assaulted without any reason whatsoever against mostly civilians. The share of the civilians among the Israeli victims is 83%, on the record. Babies, children, sick, invalids, elderly, women, anyone, actually.
The silent ones have shamed themselves for the rest of their lives. Not that this kind of people care. But regardless of their small thoughts, there are such things as a reputation and legacy. They have tarnished both of it, by their own choice. And they should not have any illusions of how they will be remembered. As the silent ones. Meaning, in the face of crimes of the October 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis, despicable ones. For now and forever.