Strongly protesting the murder of Gauri Lankesh, Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) took out a march from the union’s headquarters at Kesari Hall, Pulimood in Thiruvananthapuram to Press Club.
Shouting slogans against fascist tendencies that are killing dissenting voices, the protesters urged to be vigilant.
“Today it happened in Karnataka, tomorrow it will happen in Kerala. But we will stay united and won’t allow it to happen in Kerala. Let our voices be heard louder,” one of the slogans said.
Journalists belonging to print, visual and online media took part in the march at the Press Club.
They paid floral tributes to a picture of Gauri Lankesh kept in front of the Press Club. A brief meeting was held after the march.
“This is the first time that a prominent journalist has been killed. The state has joined hands with communal forces, and they together have been carrying out such acts. It’s indeed rare and no doubt it’s an undeclared emergency. The Lankesh family has been resisting such forces for long. Let the voices be louder. Don't think that it can't happen to us. It will happen to all of us,” MG Radhakrishan, Editor Asianet News said in the meeting.
“We Keralites view all such incidents from the safe corner of the progressive circumstances in the state. It's beyond what we see, beyond what we imagine. Fifty-six-year-old writer Rasul in Nagercoil was killed recently. I don't know how many of us noticed that. We journalists should be awakened to protest against this. Fascism comes in subtle ways, it comes under the cover of darkness," C Gouridasan Nair, Resident Editor Kerala, The Hindu said.
“The fact that she was killed because of what she stands for, is scary. Gauri Lankesh never compromised on what she stood for,” said Geetha Nazeer, Janayugam Deputy Coordinating editor .
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“We talk about such incidents when they happen and then go back to our work. In a city like Bangalore and killing someone using gun itself shows that the culprits were afraid of none,” said CNN IBN Managing Editor Radhakrishnan.
Protests were organised across the state by Press Clubs and other organisations in other districts. Network for Women in Media Thiruvananthapuram organised a protest at Manaveeyam Veedhi Thiruvananthapuram in the evening.
Academic and activist J Devika, film critic CS Venkiteswaran, activist Aby George, senior journalist C Gauridasan Nair, Reghuthaman, among, others spoke at the events.