Charlie Peters reveals abuse from left-wing mob as MSM look other way while 'GB News is targeted'

Protests are a dime a dozen these days in Britain. Over the last year I’ve attended demonstrations by junior doctors, anti-Israel Eurovision marchers in Sweden, countless similar processions in London, and yesterday a thousands-strong ‘Stand Up To Racism’ movement from the Reform UK postal address to Trafalgar Square.

These marches often make for great telly. Passions are high, the chorus of protest generates an immense atmosphere, and seeing counter-protesters come out to have their views heard can reveal two competing sides at their most intense.

But you can also see the worst forms of political expression. At the Al-Quds day march in April, I saw many masked men clearly looking for trouble. Placards of Hitler and swastikas - deemed by many to be antisemitic amid the context of protest against Israel - were removed from some angry souls on the march. Protesters marched with signs that displayed weapons.

And all too often at these events, people don’t want to be captured on camera by GB News. They only want sympathetic eyes and ears consuming their political expression, and they only want it to be packaged by outlets that can be more generous to their cause.

WATCH: The moment GB News was assaulted while reporting on London rally

Sadly this often means that many self-described anti-fascists take it upon themselves to intimidate and harass the press at their events.

This was a common problem when I was covering the anti-Israel protests at Eurovision in Sweden in May. We’d position ourselves to come up live on the channel, only for a gaggle to put their hands in front of the camera and shut us down. The Swedish police chose to look the other way. Clearly they didn’t mind some reporters being censored.

But we didn’t let them win and successfully continued our coverage for many hours afterwards, often right in the thick of the procession and then later when they clashed with police outside the main venue. While the other British broadcasters were happily schmoozing indoors and enjoying the concert, the people’s channel was broadcasting live from the ruckus outside.

Yesterday, I was with the same excellent camera operator who worked with me in Sweden when we were deployed to cover the Stand Up To Racism march in central London.

By now, we’d developed a few skills and drills to ensure more effective coverage.

Firstly: no branded kit. Just the mere presence of a GB News logo can set off a braying mob, so we have to conduct our newsgathering at far-left events almost in a state of subterfuge. When people ask, I always say GB News, but I often hope and pray that they don’t inquire so we can continue our work in peace.

Secondly, when I come up live in the middle of their events, I’m careful not to address our presenter in the studio by name, just in case anyone overhears that I’m live on air with Nana Akua and puts two and two together. I hope my colleagues in the studio don’t think I’m being rude by forgoing their names, but I’m sure they understand.

And we’ve learned to be quick. Get in, speak to whoever we can, record our coverage, and then dip away before anyone recognises the team and decides they want their special moment in the spotlight.

This strategy worked smoothly yesterday, as we met several protesters - including communists from Turkey and Germany who had travelled for the event - and heard their reasons for protesting.

As ever, I accurately and fairly reported what they told me. They were protesting Reform UK because they said the party was linked to fascism and racism, and they believed that Nigel Farage had contributed to the atmosphere that led to anti-immigrant rioting and disorder across England and Belfast. They said that rhetoric on mass immigration had fuelled the anger that led to a mosque being attacked in Southport and a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham being raided.

They also chanted “Nazi scum, off our streets.”

Over four million people voted for Reform last month. Are they all Nazis as well? Was any expression of concern about mass immigration a sign of fascism and racism? I did not receive any compelling answers to these questions.

Nobody seemed concerned by the presence of communists, nor a Palestinian flag with ‘Saoirse don Phalaistín’ written on it. That’s the name of an Irish group that recently held a vigil in Dublin for slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whacked by Mossad in Tehran. They waved Lebanese Hezbollah flags at the event as they paid their respect for the killed political head of the Gaza-based terror group that is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages. It’s not how I’d choose to spend my spare time but each to their own.

But things turned sour as the march moved on Trafalgar Square.

We went with them, joining Nana live on air as they turned the corner from parliament square and onto Whitehall, marching past the Cenotaph and beyond Downing Street.

As I had all day, I reported what the march was about, the views of the protesters, and the context of the wider Stand Up To Racism demonstrations across the country. I referred to the fact that thousands of police officers were on standby to react to any trouble, but I didn’t think I’d need their help as well.

Just as we finished our final live hit, a group that had been chanting “Nazi scum, off our streets” suddenly turned to us and chanted “GB News, off our streets.” Hardly an original refrain but the message was understood.

But we’re not interested in being forced off the streets by protesters so we did what we always do: journalism.

Our camera operator continued his coverage, to the displeasure of one man, who rushed forwards to try to shut down our broadcast. He shouted at us to stop, but we have a free press on our streets, so it’s not his decision whether we continue or not. It’s ours.

As he lunged at the camera, our backwatcher moved in to prevent an altercation, which led to the protester hitting him. He then shouted “I WILL—” but then abruptly stopped his sentence, perhaps realising that he was about to say something foolish on camera.

The police rushed in and detained him, separating the would-be disrupter from my team. They acted immensely and swiftly to prevent what could have quickly escalated into an unwelcome scene of anti-press violence.

In the end none of our kit was damaged and we were all fine, but we should not have to put up with this form of intimidation.

Those who march under the banner of anti-fascism but also want to attack the press should think twice about what their values really mean.

Earlier this week, a Sky News crew came off air after masked men approached them and chanted “free Palestine!”

It was an uncomfortable watch, and many other broadcasters and journalists expressed their sympathy for the crew. An LBC reporter also said that he was chased out of Birmingham by the same mob, which received similar sympathies.

But have any journalists from the broadsheets or other news broadcasters got in touch with me or my colleagues to express their solidarity after a man tried to censor us in the street? Not yet. Not even privately.

If others are happy to look the other way when GB News is targeted, then their complaints will be diminished when it happens to them.

Free speech for all. Free press for all. Our coverage continues and I’ll see you at the next demonstration.