A Daily Express reporter was threatened and nearly punched while working on a high street in Hounslow, West London, where homeless migrants are known to sleep. The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, as a reporter and photographer from the publication were interviewing locals about the area's rising rough sleeper numbers.
Threat in broad daylight
At around 10am, the photographer was taking pictures of planes flying over the High Street, which lies under a Heathrow Airport flight path. A thug spotted him and began watching as the photographer joined the reporter in interviewing a local. Suddenly, the man approached aggressively, with two accomplices lurking behind, and demanded: "Why are you taking pictures?"
When told that the pictures were general shots of the High Street and did not concern him, the man edged closer and threatened: "If I break your jaw, will the police do anything?" The photographer, who asked not to be named, recalled that the man seemed confident he would get away with any crime, saying: "He was confident if he did do something he would get away with it and the police wouldn't be able to do anything."
Second intimidation attempt
This was not the only attempt to intimidate the Express team that day. While interviewing another local who expressed feeling unsafe due to murders in Hounslow, a passerby overheard and aggressively interjected: "What do you mean there are f****** murders? There are murders everywhere. Are you talking s*** or something? Listen, don't talk to these people. They're f******…"
The photographer noted that the incident exemplifies a growing belief among some individuals that they can commit crimes on Britain's streets without consequence. He said: "He wasn't giving up, but he didn't really seem willing to make his move. It was a lot of hot air. Luckily, I'm big enough and ugly enough for him not to have carried out his threat."
Context of rising homelessness
Hounslow has seen a more than 50% rise in rough sleepers year on year, with the increase linked to a high number of people leaving asylum support accommodation. This backdrop of social tension may have contributed to the hostile environment encountered by the journalists.
Previous incidents and NUJ response
Previously, staff from this publication were followed while reporting on riots in Belfast, sparked by an attack on a member of the public allegedly by a Sudanese refugee. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) condemned threats, intimidation, and attacks on reporters covering that unrest. One incident saw a rock thrown at a BBC car windshield after masked men approached a film crew and told them they should not be filming.
The NUJ has called for more action to protect journalists. Its Journalists' Safety Tracker for 2024-25 revealed that reporters' ability to work in the UK and Ireland is being restricted due to targeted abuse and harassment online and in real life. The tracker identified "a worrying pattern" of violent, graphic abuse directed at women journalists, with 18 reports of physical attacks on journalists during 2024-25.
NUJ Assistant General Secretary, Séamus Dooley, said: "It is vital that journalists are allowed to work safely and free from intimidation."
