US President Donald Trump has condemned “all acts of violence” including those against media after a BBC cameraman was attacked at his campaign rally in Texas. The White House in a statement on Tuesday did not refer to the specific incident but said “President Trump condemns all acts of violence against any individual or group of people – including members of the press.”
“We ask that anyone attending an event do so in a peaceful and respectful manner,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said after the mainstream media expressed concern over the attack on the BBC cameraman at a Trump rally in El Paso, Texas on Monday night. BBC’s Ron Skeans was shoved and sworn at by a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat at the rally.
The attacker was immediately ushered away by the security. The BBC later asked the White House to review security for media attending President Trump’s rallies. In a letter, the BBC said the press area was unsupervised, and no security had tried to intervene during the incident.
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The incident was also condemned by White House Correspondents Association (WHCA). “The White House Correspondents’ Association condemns the physical attack on our colleague at the President’s rally in El Paso, Texas,” said its president Olivier Knox.
“We are relieved that, this time, no one was seriously hurt. The President of the United States should make absolutely clear to his supporters that violence against reporters is unacceptable,” Knox said. Trump has been critical of media, which he has called the enemy of the people.
