Violent attack to press freedom in Argentina
by Sebastián de Toma, July 07, 2016.
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The
cooperative weekly newspaper Tiempo Argentino, was attacked in the early hours of Monday. July 4.
Links between the paper’s previous owners and the Argentine secret services
paint a dark picture.
In the early
hours of Monday a mob of at least twenty people broke into the editorial
offices of Tiempo Argentino in the neighbourhood of Palermo, Buenos
Aires, attacking three employees and destroying equipment and documents, reported
the workers of the Argentine newspaper. One of the attackers identified himself
as Mariano Martínez Rojas, a businessman who claims to have purchased the
newspaper, once owned by Sergio Szpolski and Matías Garfunkel. Tiempo
Argentino became a cooperative initiative in April, when the workers
decided to take over the title after five months without receiving their
salaries.
There were
several hours of tension for the workers who turned up in the offices, to
defend their workplace under the rain. Several hours of listening to the mob
destroy computers, servers, cables, the administrative area and even the
workers’ personal belongings. Meanwhile, outside, the police watched the events
unfold without intervening. After several comings and goings, with the workers
managing to break into their own offices using a side door and people running
over the neighbouring roofs, the attackers left the place protected —
ironically — by the police.
several hours of tension for the workers who turned up in the offices, to
defend their workplace under the rain. Several hours of listening to the mob
destroy computers, servers, cables, the administrative area and even the
workers’ personal belongings. Meanwhile, outside, the police watched the events
unfold without intervening. After several comings and goings, with the workers
managing to break into their own offices using a side door and people running
over the neighbouring roofs, the attackers left the place protected —
ironically — by the police.
Later in the
morning the workers managed to regain control of the offices, to find a
harrowing scene: documents and cables scattered all over the place, broken
masonry, and the powder from fire extinguishers poisoning an already rarefied
air.
morning the workers managed to regain control of the offices, to find a
harrowing scene: documents and cables scattered all over the place, broken
masonry, and the powder from fire extinguishers poisoning an already rarefied
air.
Some time ago
The
aforementioned Sergio Szpolski is one of the main characters in this story: a
businessman linked to the fraudulent bankruptcy of the financial institution
Banco Patricios, in 1998. After several failed attempts, he succeeded in
kickstarting his meteoric ascent in the media sector in 2004, after buying Veintitrés,
a magazine after which he would name his media holding. With the support of
public money towards official publicity he continued to buy or create media
platforms.
aforementioned Sergio Szpolski is one of the main characters in this story: a
businessman linked to the fraudulent bankruptcy of the financial institution
Banco Patricios, in 1998. After several failed attempts, he succeeded in
kickstarting his meteoric ascent in the media sector in 2004, after buying Veintitrés,
a magazine after which he would name his media holding. With the support of
public money towards official publicity he continued to buy or create media
platforms.
When directed by
Szpolski Tiempo Argentino was openly aligned with the Kirchnerist
administration as was the rest of his media holding (which included several
magazines, free newspapers and even a cable channel). This is how he became a
key ally of the government, then involved in a struggle against the immense
power of another media holding, the Grupo Clarín, owners of the majority of the
media platforms of Argentina. An inconvenient and incapable ally, that was and
is still accused of having links with the Argentine secret services. Aside from
Szpolski and Garfunkel, other people suspected of being connected with the
holding were Darío Richarte — ex second in command of the Argentine secret
services during the presidency of Fernando de la Rúa, and lawyer of the
president of football club Boca Juniors, Daniel Angelici — and Javier
Fernández — national auditor since 1999, and suspected judicial operator
of the past government.
Szpolski Tiempo Argentino was openly aligned with the Kirchnerist
administration as was the rest of his media holding (which included several
magazines, free newspapers and even a cable channel). This is how he became a
key ally of the government, then involved in a struggle against the immense
power of another media holding, the Grupo Clarín, owners of the majority of the
media platforms of Argentina. An inconvenient and incapable ally, that was and
is still accused of having links with the Argentine secret services. Aside from
Szpolski and Garfunkel, other people suspected of being connected with the
holding were Darío Richarte — ex second in command of the Argentine secret
services during the presidency of Fernando de la Rúa, and lawyer of the
president of football club Boca Juniors, Daniel Angelici — and Javier
Fernández — national auditor since 1999, and suspected judicial operator
of the past government.
After the defeat
of the Kirchnerist presidential candidate Daniel Scioli in November 2015, and
the arrival of the conservative Mauricio Macri, the relationship between the
government and the media took at 180 degrees turn, and the Veintitrés holding
was left without governmental funds. Szpolski and his partners disappeared from
the scene after selling a large part of the holding to a businessman from the
province of Corrientes, a man with no experience in the sector: the violent
main character at the beginnig of this story, Martínez Rojas.
of the Kirchnerist presidential candidate Daniel Scioli in November 2015, and
the arrival of the conservative Mauricio Macri, the relationship between the
government and the media took at 180 degrees turn, and the Veintitrés holding
was left without governmental funds. Szpolski and his partners disappeared from
the scene after selling a large part of the holding to a businessman from the
province of Corrientes, a man with no experience in the sector: the violent
main character at the beginnig of this story, Martínez Rojas.
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According to
official documents, the holding received almost ARG$ 815 millions between 2009
and 2015. What happened to that money? Why, even after several complaints,
hasn’t it been properly investigated? From the names above a possible answer is
born: Szpolski has highly influential and powerful friends.
official documents, the holding received almost ARG$ 815 millions between 2009
and 2015. What happened to that money? Why, even after several complaints,
hasn’t it been properly investigated? From the names above a possible answer is
born: Szpolski has highly influential and powerful friends.
A sector in
shock
As it is
frequent with these cases the worse off are the workers, who stopped receiving
their salaries in November 2015. As mentioned above, this was the reason why
the cooperative was formed, with the support of the justice and the national
government. This support, nevertheless, had no influence over Szpolski, who
still hasn’t paid the workers’ salaries. “Those who say we deserve this
because we worked for Szpolski don’t understand that press workers don’t always
choose where to carry out their work, and that generally the interests of
businessmen and workers are conflicting,” says the union representative
and journalist Randy Stagnaro.
frequent with these cases the worse off are the workers, who stopped receiving
their salaries in November 2015. As mentioned above, this was the reason why
the cooperative was formed, with the support of the justice and the national
government. This support, nevertheless, had no influence over Szpolski, who
still hasn’t paid the workers’ salaries. “Those who say we deserve this
because we worked for Szpolski don’t understand that press workers don’t always
choose where to carry out their work, and that generally the interests of
businessmen and workers are conflicting,” says the union representative
and journalist Randy Stagnaro.
The
repercussions of the attack, nationally and internationally, forced the Macri
administration to call for an emergency meeting with the workers in the
Ministry for Employment. “If this hadn’t been given coverage, and we
hadn’t come — 100s of us — at 2 in the morning, under the rain, and
hadn’t tried to get in the offices, the police would have left this people
inside, while from outside it could be heard how they were smashing up the place,”
summed up over the phone Javier Borrelli, president of the cooperative Por más
tiempo, the association in charge of Tiempo Argentino.
repercussions of the attack, nationally and internationally, forced the Macri
administration to call for an emergency meeting with the workers in the
Ministry for Employment. “If this hadn’t been given coverage, and we
hadn’t come — 100s of us — at 2 in the morning, under the rain, and
hadn’t tried to get in the offices, the police would have left this people
inside, while from outside it could be heard how they were smashing up the place,”
summed up over the phone Javier Borrelli, president of the cooperative Por más
tiempo, the association in charge of Tiempo Argentino.
The attack was
condemned officially, at national and city level. Yet, Yamil Santoro —
assistant director of Communications for the government of the city of Buenos
Aires — declared via Twitter that the conflict between employees and
employer was “a private matter”.
condemned officially, at national and city level. Yet, Yamil Santoro —
assistant director of Communications for the government of the city of Buenos
Aires — declared via Twitter that the conflict between employees and
employer was “a private matter”.
To this Stagnaro
answered that what is at risk with events like this attack is press freedom.
“Those who take this sort of threat lightly are frivolous,” he said.
They may be waiting, said Borrelli, “that the state intervenes more
actively and answers the complains of the workers, to protect the right to
work, and to defend the right to free speech.”
answered that what is at risk with events like this attack is press freedom.
“Those who take this sort of threat lightly are frivolous,” he said.
They may be waiting, said Borrelli, “that the state intervenes more
actively and answers the complains of the workers, to protect the right to
work, and to defend the right to free speech.”
Such an
intervention, should it happen, would mark a drastic change in the relationship
the government has with the cooperative daily. What’s more, after an
investigation published in Tiempo Argentino on the Macri-owned society
Fled Trading S.A., located in Bahamas, and thrown into light with the Panama
Papers scandal, Chief of Staff Marcos Peña, doubted the sources of the
investigation. “It isn’t the source that I trust the most,” he
declared on May 9.
intervention, should it happen, would mark a drastic change in the relationship
the government has with the cooperative daily. What’s more, after an
investigation published in Tiempo Argentino on the Macri-owned society
Fled Trading S.A., located in Bahamas, and thrown into light with the Panama
Papers scandal, Chief of Staff Marcos Peña, doubted the sources of the
investigation. “It isn’t the source that I trust the most,” he
declared on May 9.
The director of
the programme of Social Communications of the University of Buenos Aires, Diego
De Charrás, describes the attack as “something extremely serious, further
aggravated by the fact that this is a self-managed initiative, born after the former
owner ransacked the company.”
the programme of Social Communications of the University of Buenos Aires, Diego
De Charrás, describes the attack as “something extremely serious, further
aggravated by the fact that this is a self-managed initiative, born after the former
owner ransacked the company.”
Meanwhile, the day
after the attack, the cooperative Por más
tiempo edited a special edition of the paper and — assured Borrelli
— will continue to come out on Sundays, business as usual. “If they
try to stop Tiempo from coming out they will only get more of it,”
he says. They will remain, to quote Rodolfo Walsh — the renowned
journalist disappeared on March 25 1977 after a powerful open letter to the
military junta — faithful to the commitment to speak out in difficult
times.
after the attack, the cooperative Por más
tiempo edited a special edition of the paper and — assured Borrelli
— will continue to come out on Sundays, business as usual. “If they
try to stop Tiempo from coming out they will only get more of it,”
he says. They will remain, to quote Rodolfo Walsh — the renowned
journalist disappeared on March 25 1977 after a powerful open letter to the
military junta — faithful to the commitment to speak out in difficult
times.
SOURCE: Open democracy
