Radio Free never accepts money from corporations, governments or billionaires – keeping the focus on supporting independent media for people, not profits. Since 2010, Radio Free has supported the work of thousands of independent journalists, learn more about how your donation helps improve journalism for everyone.

Make a monthly donation of any amount to support independent media.





VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots

VICE News international correspondent Ben Solomon and cameraman Chris Olson were attacked by several rioters as they covered the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Demonstrators attempted to smash Olson’s camera, damaging the handle.

President Donald Trump spoke at a noon rally that day in front of the White House, promoting false claims of election fraud and calling for his supporters to march to the Capitol where lawmakers were certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, reported the New York Times. Following the rally, pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, disrupting congressional action and occupying several areas within the building.

In a video Solomon posted on Instagram, demonstrators can be seen confronting the VICE journalists, shouting, “Get the fuck out of here!” and asking, “Who are you with? Is it CNN? Better not be CNN.”

“Chris [Olson] had a broken handle grip and that guy in forest camo gave me a good hard shove to the throat,” Solomon wrote in a caption with the Instagram post.

In Solomon’s VICE video story posted to Youtube, the camera is hit at 1:23 and Solomon’s voice can be heard, “They tried to smash our camera.”

“We were lucky to get away with minimal damage,” Solomon wrote on Instagram. “To hear how many colleagues had it worse that day, I consider myself lucky.”

As of press time, Olson had not responded to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment. The Tracker documented Solomon’s incident here.

The Tracker is documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents involving journalists covering protests across the country. Find election-related coverage here.

VICE News international correspondent Ben Solomon and cameraman Chris Olson were attacked by several rioters as they covered the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Demonstrators attempted to smash Olson’s camera, damaging the handle.

President Donald Trump spoke at a noon rally that day in front of the White House, promoting false claims of election fraud and calling for his supporters to march to the Capitol where lawmakers were certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, reported the New York Times. Following the rally, pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol, disrupting congressional action and occupying several areas within the building.

In a video Solomon posted on Instagram, demonstrators can be seen confronting the VICE journalists, shouting, "Get the fuck out of here!" and asking, "Who are you with? Is it CNN? Better not be CNN."

"Chris [Olson] had a broken handle grip and that guy in forest camo gave me a good hard shove to the throat," Solomon wrote in a caption with the Instagram post.

In Solomon’s VICE video story posted to Youtube, the camera is hit at 1:23 and Solomon's voice can be heard, "They tried to smash our camera."

"We were lucky to get away with minimal damage," Solomon wrote on Instagram. "To hear how many colleagues had it worse that day, I consider myself lucky."

As of press time, Olson had not responded to a U.S. Press Freedom Tracker request for comment. The Tracker documented Solomon’s incident here.

The Tracker is documenting assaults, arrests and other incidents involving journalists covering protests across the country. Find election-related coverage here.


This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents.


Print Share Comment Cite Upload Translate Updates

Leave a Reply

APA

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free (2021-01-18T16:38:08+00:00) VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/

MLA
" » VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - Monday January 18, 2021, https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/
HARVARD
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free Monday January 18, 2021 » VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots., viewed ,<https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/>
VANCOUVER
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - » VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots. [Internet]. [Accessed ]. Available from: https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/
CHICAGO
" » VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free - Accessed . https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/
IEEE
" » VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots." U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free [Online]. Available: https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/. [Accessed: ]
rf:citation
» VICE News journalist assaulted, camera damaged during Capitol riots | U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: All Incidents | Radio Free | https://www.radiofree.org/2021/01/18/vice-news-journalist-assaulted-camera-damaged-during-capitol-riots/ |

Please log in to upload a file.




There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.

You must be logged in to translate posts. Please log in or register.