Accredited and identified journalists covering Jair Bolsonaro’s (non-party) visit to Rome were attacked during an improvised walk by the Brazilian president in the center of the Italian capital on Sunday night (31), while supporters shouted “Globolixo” and the president’s advisors watched impassive.
Bolsonaro is in the country participating in the G20 summit. He skipped several summit-related appointments and opted to tour the city, followed by supporters.
At around 4:55 pm (local time), when the president was still inside the Brazilian embassy, ​​an agent who declined to be identified pushed this reporter away, saying that she should get away from the scene. the reporter from sheet it was pushed three more times, although it was in public places, where there should be no restrictions on the work of the press.
Arriving by car at the building of the diplomatic post, the president stopped and got out of the vehicle, as he usually does when there are supporters, but he was surprised by screams of “assassin” and “genocide”. He gave up on approaching the audience, waved, got into his car and entered the building.
The journalists then went to the back of the embassy to await Bolsonaro’s departure. During the wait, however, the first attacks against press professionals began, who were prevented from passing through the place. When questioned, the agents did not identify themselves or explain the reasons for the impediment.
Minutes later, Bolsonaro left to speak with about 60 waiting supporters. After giving a speech that was barely audible even to those nearby, greeting and taking selfies with some of the supporters, the president decided to take his fourth improvised walk around the city.
At this point, the security guards tried to make a chain of protection while the Brazilian leader set off at a tight pace towards off Argentina, along a narrow road, in which supporters were crowding to try to keep up with him.
Journalist Leonardo Monteiro, TV Globo correspondent, said he was punched in the stomach by an Italian agent after asking the president a question.
“I asked him why he hadn’t been to the G20 events this morning. Then a security guard came, pushed me so hard I even lost a shoe. Then they pressed me against the side of a car and punched me in the stomach If it wasn’t for André [Miguel, repórter cinematográfico da emissora] and two colleagues, Ana Estela, from Sheet, and Lucas Ferraz, from Globo, who came filming and argued with another police officer, it would be worse,” said Monteiro.
“It was disproportionate violence. We expect the ‘press pen’ to protect the president, but not to make the work of the press unfeasible,” said Monteiro.
On Corso Vitorio Emanuelle 2º, amid the rush and shoving, at least one demonstrator was injured when she was knocked down, and a group of people who tried to get close to her were also pushed.
when the sheet began filming the aggression against Monteiro, an agent tried to snatch this reporter’s cell phone and threatened her. UOL reporter Jamil Chad also had his cell phone taken while trying to film, and Globo reporters Lucas Ferraz and BBC Brasil Matheus Magenta were also verbally abused and pushed. Magenta was also punched in the back.
Brazilian and Italian security guards ignored the credentials and the information that the journalists were on the job and yelled at colleagues who said brutal physical contact was unacceptable.
All the way through, Bolsonaro paid no attention to events, staring straight ahead. when the sheet he asked him why security was attacking the journalists, he stopped, listened to what an aide said in his ear, and decided to interrupt the tour and return to the embassy. The agents’ assaults continued on the way back—in all, the tour lasted about ten minutes.
A sheet he addressed a uniformed man, the only one with a shield that indicated he was a civil servant. He said he was from the police, but when asked why Italian security guards were preventing the Brazilian press from working, he said that had not happened and walked towards the back door of the embassy, ​​where he began blocking the way for reporters.
The security guards also said they could not be filmed and refused to provide their identification and to say whether they were a regular part of the Italian police. Bolsonaro’s advisers never asked for calm or interceded.
A sheet asked the Secom (Secretary of Communication) of the Presidency of the Republic who are responsible for the security of Bolsonaro in Rome, but got no answer.
In a note about the episode, the newspaper stated: “The sheet repudiates the attacks suffered by reporter Ana Estela de Sousa Pinto and other journalists in Rome, yet another unacceptable attack by President Jair Bolsonaro on the professional press.”
The ANJ (National Association of Newspapers) said in a statement that “it repudiates with vehemence and indignation the attacks suffered by Brazilian journalists in covering the president’s activities.”
“Violence against journalists, in an attempt to impede their work, is a direct consequence of the president’s stance, which encourages intolerance in the face of journalistic activity with deeds and words,” says the text.
The note also states that ANJ expects the acts to be investigated, and the guilty, punished. “Impunity in this and other episodes is a sign of an authoritarian escalation.”
TV Globo also spoke about the episode. In a statement, the company stated that it “strongly condemns the aggression against its correspondent Leonardo Monteiro and other colleagues in Rome and demands a complete assessment of responsibilities”.
“Who hired the security guards? Who gave them the guidance to remove journalists using force? Will those responsible be punished? Globo is seeking information on the procedures necessary to request an investigation from the Italian authorities,” the document continues.
“At the moment, there remains the emphatic repudiation, the unrestricted solidarity with Leonardo Monteiro and other fellow journalists from other vehicles, and an observation: it is President Jair Bolsonaro’s belligerent rhetoric against journalists that is at the root of this type of attack. This rhetoric will not prevent the legitimate work of the press. Questions will continue to be asked, the actions of the president will continue to be monitored and recorded. It is the duty of professional journalism. But this rhetoric can have even more serious consequences. And the responsibility will be the president.”
The Freedom of Expression Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) also issued a repudiation note to the attacks against journalists. “It is regrettable that incidents like this occur, reflecting a frequent attitude of disrespect for the work of press professionals.”
.
_183324.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Niklas: “We were affected by the conditions of the field, the foreigners were shocked and asked me why there is such hatred”")
