The president of , (-PB), remained silent this Wednesday (10) about the action of legislative police officers to censor the work of the press during the forcible removal of the deputy (-RJ) from the presidency of the House.
Motta even signaled to meet with representatives of the professionals who work in the Chamber’s journalistic coverage to discuss the episode, but he did not receive them. A delegation of journalists spoke with the presidency’s advisors.
After the meeting, the delegation stated that Motta’s assistants said that a note should be published with “formal clarifications and that there is a determination of ‘investigation’ for the investigations”. Until the conclusion of this text there was no manifestation.
Earlier, the Sheet sent a series of questions to the President of the Chamber, including questions about whether Motta had given the order for the legislative police to act with the use of force, the order that TV Câmara broadcasting be interrupted or the order that journalists be restricted from their work. There was no response.
On Tuesday night, after the episode, Motta stated that he acted “rigorously” as required by the House’s security protocols and internal regulations.
“I also determined the investigation of any and all excesses committed against press coverage”, stated the president of the Chamber.
Critical of Motta, Glauber occupied the presidential chair and refused to leave after Motta announced that he would vote this Wednesday on the process that calls for the PSOL representative to be revoked for kicking a right-wing activist who was chasing him on the premises of the House.
The press was removed from the plenary and did not record images of the parliamentarian’s expulsion. Only parliamentarians had access to the scene and. The episode was criticized by entities such as Fenaj (National Federation of Journalists), Abraji (Brazilian Investigative Association) and ANJ (National Association of Newspapers).
The confusion surrounding the expulsion continued throughout the green room, with journalists, police officers and deputies in a tumult with pushing and shoving and aggression.
According to left-wing deputies, in addition to Glauber, deputies Sâmia Bomfim (PSOL-SP), Dorinaldo Malafaia (PDT-AP), Rogério Correia (PT-MG) and Célia Xakriabá (PSOL-MG) were attacked. The parliamentarians registered a police report.
Fenaj and the Union of Professional Journalists of the Federal District (SJPDF) released a statement repudiating the violence and the shutdown of the TV signal. The text also demands accountability from Motta.
“Fenaj and the SJPDF consider the restriction on the work of the press and the freedom and right to information of the Brazilian population to be extremely serious. Even more serious are the episodes of physical attacks on press professionals, who provide information about the functioning of the Legislative House to Brazilian society”, he says.
Abraji expressed solidarity and mentioned attacks on journalists Guilherme Balza, from Globo, and Carolina Nogueira, from Uol.
“Abraji considers the censorship imposed on the press by the Chamber of Deputies and the violence against journalists and parliamentarians unacceptable. A democratic society cannot present grotesque spectacles of authoritarianism like the one witnessed in the early evening of this Tuesday, December 9, at the Casa do Povo”, it says.
In addition to ANJ, Abert (Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters) and Aner (National Association of Magazine Editors) also signed a text stating that cutting the TV signal is incompatible “with the exercise of press freedom”.
“ANJ, Abert and Aner hope that responsibilities will be determined so that such intimidation practices are not repeated and that the principles of the Brazilian Constitution are preserved, which explicitly prohibits censorship”, he says.
