CBC photojournalist Ben Nelms is used to catching news, not making it.
The 33-year-old bore personal witness to the rise in violence against journalists around the world last year when he was punched in the face while documenting protesters demonstrating in support of the former president of the United States Donald Trump on the same day as riots engulfed the US Capitol.
Five people died that day in Washington, DC. Nelms was left with a bruised eye, a swollen cheek and the unsettling feeling that he had been attacked for his profession.
“Photojournalists are on the front lines of current news and events. Ultimately, that comes with a sometimes unknown level of hostility, which any photojournalist worth their salt is well aware of,” Nelms said. at the CBC.
“However, in this case, I was targeted simply because of my job and the cameras around my neck.”
The eagle eye is instrumental
The man who punched Nelms, Chris Savva, pleaded guilty to assault in downtown Vancouver’s community court on Friday, and received a conditional discharge, meaning he will have no criminal record.
The attack occurred on January 6, 2021, outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, where Savva was part of a small group gathered for what turned out to be a series of spontaneous protests held across North America.
Ben Nelms saw the man who punched him at a rally a few months after the attack, and he and a fellow photojournalist were able to take pictures of him without a mask. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The BC rally was held to support a condemned proposal by Trump supporters to stop the certification of US President Joe Biden’s election victory. After Trump spoke at a rally near the US Capitol, a crowd of protesters there overwhelmed police and forced their way into the building that serves as the heart of American democracy.
The Crown asked that Savva receive a suspended sentence.
According to news reports, Savva’s lawyer claimed that his client was walking past the gallery when he observed a clash between protesters and counter-protesters. He said Savva was not a member of either group.
The judge said Savva could not have known that Nelms, who wears several camera bodies around his neck, was a journalist.
Although many other media outlets witnessed the assault, the identity of Nelms’ attacker, who was wearing a mask, could not be determined initially.
It turned out that the eagle eye of photojournalists was instrumental in bringing the accused to justice when Nelms saw Savva at another art gallery demonstration a few months later, and Savva removed his mask on enough time for Nelms to get the shot. and call the police.
“A very disturbing trend”
Nelms was the Canadian News Photographer of the Year in 2019.
At the time of the attack, the president of the Canadian News Photographers Association, Crystal Schick, condemned the assault, calling epithets like “fake news” demeaning to professionals who work to find the truth. .
Ben Nelms was Canadian News Photographer of the Year in 2019. (Ben Nelms)
“A free press is necessary for an informed public. Photojournalists, journalists and publishers are committed to a code of ethics based on truth, accuracy, humanity and responsibility,” Schick said.
“The assault on Mr. Nelms underscores the growing challenge our colleagues face simply doing their jobs, and that is not acceptable.”
In a statement, CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said the attack on Nelms was “consistent with a very disturbing trend.”
“Our journalists engage with the public as part of their job, but they are often exposed to unacceptable levels of harassment and abuse, both in person and online,” Thompson said.
“This has become a new reality of working in journalism today and it shouldn’t be. We are doing everything in our power to ensure our journalists can do their jobs safely, free from ‘threats and harassment’.
As part of his sentence, Savva must complete 12 months of probation.
Nelms says he lives with the knowledge of how real the threat of violence is every time he points his camera.
“Journalists should be free to keep their finger on the pulse of their city without having to fear hate-filled attacks,” Nelms said.