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Journalist told she would pay ‘ultimate price’ after covering far-right protest

Susie Beever 1A regional daily journalist has refused to be cowed after being told she would pay “the ultimate price” for covering a far-right protest.

Susie Beever, left, who works for the Huddersfield Daily Examiner and Leeds Live, received the threat after reporting on the rally in Leeds on Saturday.

Six people were arrested during the demonstration, in which protesters wearing yellow hi vis jackets called for “British folk to be put before migrants”.

An image was also captured of a woman appearing to perform a Nazi salute at Saturday’s protest.

In a Twitter post the following day, Susie wrote: “I got into work this morning to be greeted by an email telling me I would ‘soon be paying the ultimate price’ for my live coverage of a far-right protest in Leeds yesterday.

“It’s interesting how the people who demand their right to freedom of speech in these protests are the same people who send threatening, aggressive and expletive emails to journalists because they don’t like the fact the free press have covered them.

“It’s almost as if it’s nothing to do with freedom of speech, but more about a minority’s deep-seated anger that the majority do not share their narrow-minded views.

“Last time I checked, there was nothing in Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (Freedom of Expression) that said ‘look if you’re really jolly angry, it’s okay to hoist white power flags, intimidate members of the public and assault police officers’.”

Nazi

In November, Susie’s Examiner and Leeds Live colleague Stephanie Finnegan revealed she had been issued with a panic alarm by Reach plc, the titles’ owner, after she received rape and death threats while covering the ‘Tommy Robinson’ contempt of court case earlier in 2018.

Police patrols were also increased in Stephanie’s area after supporters of the far-right leader attempted to find out where she lived.

Susie told HTFP: “It’s interesting that many of these people with far-right views complain of having their ‘free speech’ taken, but will then send malicious and sometimes disturbingly-threatening emails to journalists covering issues like this.

“Journalists are facing hostility more than ever – particularly from the far-right who seem appalled that the ‘mainstream media’ do not support their views.

“Local press has always, and will always, support and reflect the issues and concerns of their communities – so when it comes to protesters flying white nationalist flags, intimidating city centre shoppers on a Saturday afternoon and assaulting police officers, it’s little wonder the local media aren’t cheering them on.”

3 comments

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  • January 25, 2019 at 3:44 pm
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    It comes with the territory I am afraid. Always an element of sickos in society. I was once threatened while having a pee during a break from a court hearing. Too much information?

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  • January 28, 2019 at 3:05 pm
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    I’ve covered EDL marches and all sorts, lots of threats and just ignore them. Once someone outside court threatened to stab me as he covered up his face, knew where he lived, so guessed which bus stop he was going to use and got his photo there.

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  • January 29, 2019 at 10:53 am
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    It’s so important that we continue to cover these events – aside from major rallies in London, the reach & rise of the far-right isn’t well-covered in the national press. And that should include reports of the threats they make to journalists – we must expose their true nature.

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