A protest was held at Liberty Chowk, Lahore at 4 pm yesterday to show solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians and condemn the Israeli apartheid regime. Many people animatedly joined the protest chanting slogans of “Free Palestine,” and carrying placards to express their sorrow at the Palestinian lives lost under the settler-colonial and ethnic cleansing policies of the Israeli government.
What Happened: A journalist from the”Leader TV” covering the protest repeatedly targeted the attire of the female protestors, stating that it was ironic that Muslim women were raising their voices against the oppression of Palestinian Muslims while clad in ‘revealing Western clothes’ such as ‘shorts and sleeveless shirts.’ The camera also repeatedly zoomed in on people of the opposite sex sitting together, with the journalist calling them ‘couples’ who were ‘using the protest as an excuse to be on a date.’ It is worth mentioning that the journalist not once described the slogans painted on the placards and meanings behind them, or talked about the Israeli apartheid, but was solely fixated on morally policing the attendees of the protest.
What Happened Next: People took to social media to call out the problematic and misogynist reporting of the journalist and how it was misdirecting attention from the actual cause.