Dear Friends,

Amid a steady increase in violence against journalists in France in recent months, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launched a hotline to respond to the emergency needs of journalists covering the unrest in France after the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old youth by a policeman in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre on 27 June.

The “RSF urban violence hotline” provided journalists covering urban violence with direct access to emergency services. They were able to report any violence or abusive treatment to which they were subjected, and to receive legal advice, psychological assistance, loans of protective equipment and training in safety for reporters in the field.

The increase in attacks on journalists is a major source of concern for RSF. Reporters are vital observers of such events. We cannot accept that they are trapped between protesters, rioters and law enforcement. It is our duty to call on all the protagonists to show the utmost restraint and to propose concrete solutions, as we do all over the world.

Your support is essential if we are to be able to continue taking effective action to protect journalists who bravely expose themselves to the possibility of violence in order to report the news.