‘Must be called out’: PM under pressure after 9News reporter Lauren Tomasi shot with rubber bullet during LA protests
Anthony Albanese is being urged to confront US President Donald Trump after an Aussie journo was shot with a rubber bullet while covering the LA riots.
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The Greens have called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to seek “urgent explanation” from Donald Trump after an Australian journalist was shot by police with a rubber bullet in Los Angeles.
9News reporter Lauren Tomasi was hit while covering street protests that have broken out in LA following the arrests of dozens of people for alleged immigration violations.
The moment was captured on camera with Ms Tomasi directly hit in the leg.
“You just f***in’ shot the reporter!” a protester yelled at the officer before asking whether she was OK.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she replied.
Providing an update on 9News on Monday evening, Ms Tomasi said, “I’m okay. My cameraman Jimmy and I are both safe.
“This is just one of the unfortunate realities of reporting on these kinds of incidents. It has been a really volatile day on the streets of Los Angeles.
“There have been a lot of tempers flaring here today and certainly tonight there is a lot of anger in the City of Angels.”
In a statement, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young called on Mr Albanese to hold the US President accountable.
“US authorities shooting an Australian journalist is simply shocking,” Ms Hanson-Young said in a statement.
“It is completely unacceptable and must be called out.”
Ms Hanson-Young, who is also the Greens spokeswoman for media and communication, said the Prime Minister should seek “an urgent explanation from the US administration”.
“As Albanese is preparing for his first meeting with President Trump, the first thing he must tell the President is to stop shooting at our journalists,” Ms Hanson-Young.
“Freedom of the press is a fundamental pillar of a strong, functioning democracy.”
In a statement, Channel 9 said both Ms Tomasi and their camera operator were “safe”.
“While reporting from protests in Los Angeles, 9News reporter Lauren Tomasi was struck by a rubber bullet. Lauren and her camera operator are safe and will continue their essential work covering these events,” the media company said.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers journalists can face while reporting from the frontlines of protests, underscoring the importance of their role in providing vital information.”
On X, Ms Tomasi told a follower she was “safe and okay”.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles was in contact with Ms Tomasi.
“Australia supports media freedom and the protection of journalists. All journalists should be able to do their work safely,” the statement said.
The PM is yet to comment on the incident.
Protesters ordered to disperse
Before 10pm Sunday local time, the entirety of downtown Los Angeles was declared an “unlawful assembly” zone, with members of the public instructed to disperse.
“Downtown Los Angeles has been declared as an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. You are to leave the Downtown Area immediately,” the police department posted on social media.
It comes after cars were burned and protesters clashed with police, resulting in the arrests of almost 40 people involved in the riots.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said enforcement was “overwhelmed” by the number of people involved in the protests.
“As far as people worried about the violence that we’re seeing. The violence that we’ve seen is disgusting. It’s escalated now, since the beginning of this incident. What we saw the first night was bad. What we’ve seen subsequent to that is getting worse and more violent,” Mr McDonnell said.
“Tonight we had individuals out there shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you. We have adapted our tactics to be able to have a chance to take these people into custody and to hold them accountable.”
On Sunday morning, the first members of the National Guard arrived in Los Angeles after Mr Trump ordered 2,000 troops in the city after two days of violence and protests.
A new statement from US Northern Command has confirmed that 500 Marines are also prepared to deploy to Los Angeles, should they be ordered to do so.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has since come out demanding that Donald Trump withdraw the National Guard, accusing the President of “inciting” more violence.
“These are the acts of a dictator, not a president,” he said.
Mr Trump posted to the social media platform, Truth Social, to hit back at Mr Newsom as well as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Governor Gavin Newscum (sic) and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologise to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job they have done, and this now includes the ongoing LA riots,” he said.
“These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrections.”
Originally published as ‘Must be called out’: PM under pressure after 9News reporter Lauren Tomasi shot with rubber bullet during LA protests
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