Punjab-origin journalists in Canada pledge to fight repression

Vancouver, May 4 Members of Punjabi Press Club of British Columbia (PPCBC) have come out to hold a rally against growing repression of journalists and shrinking press freedom.

Held at the Holland Park in Surrey on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday, the rally was attended by the Mayor Dough McCallum and city councillor Mandeep Nagra, besides BC Federation of Labour Secretary-Treasurer Sussanne Skidmore. The three of them addressed the gathering and strongly condemned the attack on press freedom.

Special messages of solidarity with the media from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and two MPs Sukh Dhaliwal and Parm Bains were also read out by the organisers.

The event started with Canadian national anthem and a moment of silence for journalists who laid down their lives in the line of their duty globally.

Many of the rally participants believe India is becoming unsafe for journalists.

The speakers were unanimous in their demand for the release of jailed journalists in India, and halting physical and mental harassment of mediapersons by authorities and their supporters.

They agreed that the female journalists remain more vulnerable. Slogans in support of press freedom were also raised by the participants.

Those who spoke on the occasion were PPCBC president Baljinder Kaur, former presidents Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal and Jarnail Singh Artist, cofounder of the club Gurpreet Singh Sahota, secretary Khuspal Gill and a veteran member Kuldeep Singh. Gurpreet Singh, the publisher of Radical Desi, an online magazine also spoke.