ALBAWABA - Italian journalist Gabriele Nunziati was fired from his job at Agenzia Nova after asking European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho about whether Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, in reference to her words about how Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Nunziati asked Pinho on October 13, "You have repeatedly said that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe that Israel should also pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, given that it destroyed much of the Strip and its civilian infrastructure?"
The Italian journalist took to his official Instagram account with a lengthy statement, revealing that he was laid off from his job at Agenzia Nova on October 27 after receiving a letter from the news outlet.
Italian journalist fired for questioning EU Commission about Israel
He wrote, "I learned through phone calls that my question had not been appreciated by my agency. Then, on October 27, I received a letter informing me that the working relationship would end on December 1."
Nunziati added, "My question can only be considered biased if one needs to deny reality. It is a fact that Israel has almost completely razed Gaza to the ground; this is not an opinion."
He further outlined, "It is a fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his ministers. These, and many others, are facts. On the contrary, it would be biased to deny them and not question them."
Gabriele Nunziati told Euronews, "We need to understand what a technically incorrect question means." He added, "My question is a question, and as such, it leaves room for the interlocutor to respond and express their position."
Agenzia Nova revealed that it fired Nunziati because the video went viral on social media, allegedly prompting Russian Telegram channels and political Islamic media with an anti-EU agenda to pick it up, "creating embarrassment for the agency."
In response, Nunziati stated that it's not his responsibility who shares his video and that he was unaware of the issue at hand. He added that numerous media outlets and newspapers around the world shared the video.
The National Council of the Order of Journalists defended Nunziati, stating that a journalist can't be fired for simply asking a question. The statement by the council outlined that, "regardless of contractual protections, one is to ask questions that may be uncomfortable or unwelcome," calling for the Italian journalist's reemployment.
