United States: Photographer Chae Kihn Arrested During The Anti-Trump Demonstration
Location: United States, New York
Date: November 3, 2020
Freelance photographer Chae Kihn was arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) while covering an anti-Trump demonstration. The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds these arrests as tactics of suppression and intimidation against journalists who are simply doing their jobs.
On November 1, 2020, eleven people were arrested in Manhattan during the anti-Trump protests. Among the apprehended was Chae Kihn, a photographer who had recently been covering Black Lives Matter protests. The NYPD denied Kihn’s arrest in a tweet claiming “All arrested individuals from today's protests have been verified to not be NYPD credentialed members of the press.”
It is being reported on social media that earlier today members of the press were arrested during a protest in Manhattan.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 1, 2020
These reports are false.
All arrested individuals from today's protests have been verified to not be NYPD credentialed members of the press.” pic.twitter.com/Xbxhk1FK79
Chae Kihn is a well-known photographer and journalist whose work has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, the Village Sun, and BOMB magazine. Kihn also has an archive of photographs covering recent demonstrations on her Instagram account.
In an interview with Hyperallergic, Chae said: “They didn’t care I was a photographer. They didn’t care I was press. People who know me were shouting out that I was press, and they didn’t care.” Chae expressed the importance of the press freedom and continued that “What did I do to deserve that? Walk in the road. I am a photographer documenting this movement. What about freedom of the press?”
In a video recorded by @scootercaster on the protest, Chae can be seen in a white hat before being tackled to the ground at the beginning of the video. The video clearly shows the brutal violence used against the photographer. This incident is the latest of several attacks women journalists have faced recently.
Evidently, these arrests are assaults to press freedom and we continue to follow and monitor these events closely. We have a great concern for the safety of women journalists; not only for their well-being, but also for their freedom of expression. CFWIJ will always stand on the side of protecting the rights to free expression and free press. Additionally, we condemn the violence against women journalists. We stand with the photographer Chae Khin and all women journalists who are dealing with similar issues on the ground.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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