By Nourhan Dakroury
Volkhard Windfuhr, chairman of the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Egypt, criticised foreign coverage of the events and warned against the increasing risks against the lives of journalists in a Sunday statement.
The statement read: “Without taking sides in the internal conflict, I consider it our duty to make our members aware of a seriously increasing danger for our journalistic performance and even lives.”
Windfuhr said the attacks on foreign journalists, some of which were fatal, happened on purpose by “self-proclaimed ‘peaceful protesters’.”
“Today I myself happily escaped a mean sniper attack on the 15 [May Bridge] at Zamalek. The criminal was not a policeman either, I have witnesses for that fact, normal Egyptian citizen passers-by,” Windfuhr said, adding that he wasn’t there for press coverage, but was only meeting a friend.
Windfuhr stated that protesters are attacking their own state, that they are attacking people at random, churches, stores owned by Christians and public buildings.
“It is not my job as FPA chairman to bother you with political analyses, but I feel forced by my conscience and professional morals to express my strong disappointment that the war which the ‘protesters’ fight against the state of our host country only scarcely finds an adequate due coverage, ” he said.
