The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Sunday condemned an attack on a cameraman of the Index news portal which took place on Saturday afternoon during an anti-Covid protest in Zagreb.

The HND considers it incredible that people who gather under the guise of protection of their freedoms use aggressive behaviour to endanger the freedom of journalists, preventing them from doing their job, HND head Hrvoje Zovko said in a press release.

Members of the press have shown during this pandemic how important journalism is for the whole society, he said, adding that the HND has been warning for years about the unacceptable atmosphere in which journalists are the seen as the main culprits for everything bad in society.

On Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered in Zagreb’s main square to protest the coronavirus prevention measures. The rally, dubbed the “Freedom Festival”, was widely criticised by medical experts, with the Croatian Medical Law Association (HUZMP) saying on Friday the event was a protest against individual and societal health organised under the slogan of freedom, calling it “deception and demagoguery.”

The HND expects the authorities to start doing their job and punish those who attack journalists, Zovko said.