A Trump supporter was restrained after violently attacking a BBC cameraman at President Donald Trump's rally in El Paso, Texas on Monday night. (Photo: screenshot/@BBCBlindGazza/Twitter)
Feb 11, 2019
A BBC correspondent shared on social media a video of his colleague being attacked at President Donald Trump's rally in El Paso, Texas Monday night, laying blame with the increasingly anti-press rhetoric the president spouts at his public appearances, including at this one.
Around the time Trump told the crowd that a wall at the southern U.S. border would cut down on violent crime in the U.S., cameraman Ron Skeans was violently shoved by a Trump supporter wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. The attacker was filmed shouting, "Fuck the media!" as he stormed the press area.
Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue shared footage of the attack, saying it followed Trump's "goading" of the crowd against journalists and others he considers opponents.
\u201cThis is the shameful moment when my cameraman Ron Skeans was attacked at an \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally in El Paso last night - warning this video contains strong language. Happily Ron is fine. #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549955619
\u201cSecurity now removed Trump crowd member who pushed and shoved my cameraman - having jumped onto the Media platform here in El Paso - pretestor tried to smash our camera - follows multiple attacks on the media by the President and previous speakers - it's shameful\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549939372
BBC producer Eleanor Montague described the crowd as having been "whipped into a frenzy" by Trump and other speakers, with the president slamming the media as "dishonest" and leading a chant of "CNN sucks!"
\u201cJust attended my first \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally where my colleague BBC cameraman Rob Skeans was attacked by a Trump supporter. The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Eleanor Montague (@Eleanor Montague) 1549949804
The rhetoric was a continuation of Trump's repeated attacks on the press, which he has denounced as the "enemy of the people" and whose right to report on his administration he has threatened to try to revoke.
Following the attack, the crowd began chanting, "Let him go!" as the man who assaulted Skeans was restrained and led away.
On Twitter, BBC Americas bureau chief Paul Danahar condemned the attack on Skeans, warning that the aggressive shoving of a cameraman could be a preview of far more dangerous assaults at Trump rallies if the president doesn't loudly and unequivocally denounce the violence.
\u201cThe attack on my colleague at President Trump\u2019s El Paso rally was aggressive & unpleasant but not life threatening. However I fear it was a step towards something much worse eventually happening to a journalist if the vilification of the media doesn\u2019t stop https://t.co/MFA3O1dQDc\u201d— Paul Danahar (@Paul Danahar) 1549974861
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A BBC correspondent shared on social media a video of his colleague being attacked at President Donald Trump's rally in El Paso, Texas Monday night, laying blame with the increasingly anti-press rhetoric the president spouts at his public appearances, including at this one.
Around the time Trump told the crowd that a wall at the southern U.S. border would cut down on violent crime in the U.S., cameraman Ron Skeans was violently shoved by a Trump supporter wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. The attacker was filmed shouting, "Fuck the media!" as he stormed the press area.
Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue shared footage of the attack, saying it followed Trump's "goading" of the crowd against journalists and others he considers opponents.
\u201cThis is the shameful moment when my cameraman Ron Skeans was attacked at an \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally in El Paso last night - warning this video contains strong language. Happily Ron is fine. #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549955619
\u201cSecurity now removed Trump crowd member who pushed and shoved my cameraman - having jumped onto the Media platform here in El Paso - pretestor tried to smash our camera - follows multiple attacks on the media by the President and previous speakers - it's shameful\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549939372
BBC producer Eleanor Montague described the crowd as having been "whipped into a frenzy" by Trump and other speakers, with the president slamming the media as "dishonest" and leading a chant of "CNN sucks!"
\u201cJust attended my first \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally where my colleague BBC cameraman Rob Skeans was attacked by a Trump supporter. The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Eleanor Montague (@Eleanor Montague) 1549949804
The rhetoric was a continuation of Trump's repeated attacks on the press, which he has denounced as the "enemy of the people" and whose right to report on his administration he has threatened to try to revoke.
Following the attack, the crowd began chanting, "Let him go!" as the man who assaulted Skeans was restrained and led away.
On Twitter, BBC Americas bureau chief Paul Danahar condemned the attack on Skeans, warning that the aggressive shoving of a cameraman could be a preview of far more dangerous assaults at Trump rallies if the president doesn't loudly and unequivocally denounce the violence.
\u201cThe attack on my colleague at President Trump\u2019s El Paso rally was aggressive & unpleasant but not life threatening. However I fear it was a step towards something much worse eventually happening to a journalist if the vilification of the media doesn\u2019t stop https://t.co/MFA3O1dQDc\u201d— Paul Danahar (@Paul Danahar) 1549974861
A BBC correspondent shared on social media a video of his colleague being attacked at President Donald Trump's rally in El Paso, Texas Monday night, laying blame with the increasingly anti-press rhetoric the president spouts at his public appearances, including at this one.
Around the time Trump told the crowd that a wall at the southern U.S. border would cut down on violent crime in the U.S., cameraman Ron Skeans was violently shoved by a Trump supporter wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. The attacker was filmed shouting, "Fuck the media!" as he stormed the press area.
Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue shared footage of the attack, saying it followed Trump's "goading" of the crowd against journalists and others he considers opponents.
\u201cThis is the shameful moment when my cameraman Ron Skeans was attacked at an \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally in El Paso last night - warning this video contains strong language. Happily Ron is fine. #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549955619
\u201cSecurity now removed Trump crowd member who pushed and shoved my cameraman - having jumped onto the Media platform here in El Paso - pretestor tried to smash our camera - follows multiple attacks on the media by the President and previous speakers - it's shameful\u201d— Gary O'Donoghue (@Gary O'Donoghue) 1549939372
BBC producer Eleanor Montague described the crowd as having been "whipped into a frenzy" by Trump and other speakers, with the president slamming the media as "dishonest" and leading a chant of "CNN sucks!"
\u201cJust attended my first \u2066@realDonaldTrump\u2069 rally where my colleague BBC cameraman Rob Skeans was attacked by a Trump supporter. The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night #TrumpElPaso\u201d— Eleanor Montague (@Eleanor Montague) 1549949804
The rhetoric was a continuation of Trump's repeated attacks on the press, which he has denounced as the "enemy of the people" and whose right to report on his administration he has threatened to try to revoke.
Following the attack, the crowd began chanting, "Let him go!" as the man who assaulted Skeans was restrained and led away.
On Twitter, BBC Americas bureau chief Paul Danahar condemned the attack on Skeans, warning that the aggressive shoving of a cameraman could be a preview of far more dangerous assaults at Trump rallies if the president doesn't loudly and unequivocally denounce the violence.
\u201cThe attack on my colleague at President Trump\u2019s El Paso rally was aggressive & unpleasant but not life threatening. However I fear it was a step towards something much worse eventually happening to a journalist if the vilification of the media doesn\u2019t stop https://t.co/MFA3O1dQDc\u201d— Paul Danahar (@Paul Danahar) 1549974861
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.