Democracy Now! May 5, 2003

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Program Title:
Democracy Now! May 5, 2003
Series Title:
PRA Archive #: 
PZ0517.155a
Description: 

Israeli troops shoot dead another journalist in the Occupied Territories, according to witnesses: James Miller was an award-winning documentary filmmaker who was famous for his piece on Afghanistan, Beneath the Veil; 33 years ago this weekend, US National Guardsmen fired into a crowd of people at Kent State University who were protesting the Vietnam War, killing four: we ll talk a man who was shot and survived and look at police violence against protesters today

8:00-8:01 Billboard 8:01-8:10 Headlines 8:10-8:11 One Minute Music Break 8:11-8:25: Another journalist has been killed in the Occupied Territories. James Miller was an award-winning British documentary filmmaker. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers were demolishing a home in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Miller, another British journalist, Saira Shah, and their translator had just left the home of a Palestinian man when they came under fire. Television footage from the Associated Press showed the crew waving a white flag and yelling that they were British journalists as they approached an armored bulldozer conducting the operation. According to witnesses, a tank then fired on the journalists. The Israeli military is giving conflicting accounts. The London Independent and CNN are reporting the military claimed the tank had come under fire and then fired back. The Israeli newspaper Ha aretz reports the army denied there were any tanks in the area. And now, the Israeli military says Miller was hit from behind and that he may have been killed by Palestinian fire. The Israeli military plans to take Miller's body to the Israeli national forensic center in Jerusalem for an autopsy. James Miller was making a documentary for HBO about the lives of Palestinian children in Rafah. He and his partner, Saira Shah, are best known for their documentaries Beneath the Veil and Unholy War. The documentaries followed Shah as she journeyed to her Afghan homeland to expose the harsh rule of the Taliban government. The documentaries were made for CNN and the British network Channel Four. They won dozens of awards, including a Peabody and an Emmy. Miller is the second journalist to be killed by Israeli gunfire in a month. Palestinian journalist Nazeh Darwazi was shot dead by Israeli troops on April 19. Ironically, the shooting of James Miller took place on the eve of the United Nations World Press Freedom Day. Reporters Without Borders demanded the Israeli authorities conduct an investigation, make the results public, and punish those responsible. Reporters Without Borders also said U.S. attacks on the Baghdad hotel housing foreign journalists and the office of Al-Jazeera television were war crimes. Meanwhile, the Israeli military is threatening to expel the International Solidarity Movement from the Occupied Territories. The ISM brings international peace activists to the Occupied Territories. The Israeli government is currently trying to claim the ISM has ties to the two British suicide bombers involved in the attack in Tel Aviv last week. The Israeli newspaper Ha aretz claims ISM activists met with the two Britons last month. <sum> Lora, International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist in Rafah. She was shot at by an Israeli tank in the same area where Miller was shot. She believes it was the same tank that killed Miller. Lora is from Pittsburgh. Contact: www.palsolidarity.org <sum> Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! Correspondent who knew Miller and recently spent time with him in Baghdad <sum> George Rishmawi, International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activist from Bethlehem. Contact: www.palsolidarity.org 8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break 8:21-8:35 JAMES MILLER, CONT D 8:35-8:58: We ve just been talking about the Israeli military s killing of British journalist James Miller. Another British journalist based in the region, Justin Huggler, told Democracy Now! he believes the US military is partly to blame. He said when US soldiers fired on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, killing two journalists, it sent a message to armies around the world that it is okay to kill journalists. Well US forces have also shot and killed protesters both around the globe and here at home. On May 4th, 1970 33 years ago yesterday US National Guardsmen opened fire on a crowd of unarmed student protesters on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio. The guardsmen fired off at least 67 shots in roughly 13 seconds as students protested the war in Vietnam. Four students died and nine others were wounded. To mark the anniversary, hundreds of people marched at the university yesterday. They were protesting a more current issue: the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. 12 people were arrested. University spokesman Ron Kirksey said of the protest: "There's always a group that wants to exploit the day and get attention." <sum> Kent State: The Day the War Came Home, an Emmy award-winning documentary produced and directed by Mark Mori for the 30th anniversary of the shootings. <sum> Alan Canfora, who was shot by the National Guard at Kent State. He is now the chairperson of the Barbeton Democratic Party. Contact: http://alancanfora.com, http://dept.kent.edu/may4/33rd/33.htm <sum> Sri Louise, San Francisco yoga instructor who was shot in the face by Oakland police at an anti-war rally at the Port of Oakland last month. After being shot by a non-lethal projectile, photos of her swollen, bloodied profile were beamed around the world. Link: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0407-07.htm 8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break 8:41-8:58 Kent State, cont d 8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Sharif Abdul Kouddous, Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press with help from Noah Reibel and Vilka Tzouras. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer. Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Emily Kunstler, Orlando Richards, Simba Rousseau, Rafael delaUz, Gabriel Weiss, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Karen Ranucci, Fatima Mojadiddy, Denis Moynihan and Jenny Filipazzo.

Date Recorded on: 
May 5, 2003
Date Broadcast on: 
May 5, 2003
Item duration: 
59 min.
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Distributor: 
WBAI; Amy Goodman, host., May 5, 2003
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