Three journalists blocked before the action of environmental activists in front of a ministry in Rome. Among them also Angela Nittoli, collaborator offattoquotidiano.it. About her Her story: “They prevented us from using our cell phones, which were then kept in the security room, what they called a cell”
Stopped while doing their job, identified, taken to the police station, searched. This is the treatment that the police reserved for three journalists who were following an action by Ultima Generazione, the movement that fights to raise awareness on the issue of climate change through non-violent civil disobedience. To be blocked and taken to the offices of […]
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Stopped while doing their job, identified, taken to the police station, searched. It’s the treatment the police meted out to three journalists who were following an action of Last generation, the movement that fights to raise awareness on the issue of climate change through non-violent civil disobedience. The ones who were blocked and taken to the offices on board a police car were the videomaker who collaborated with ilfattoquotidiano.it Angela Nittolithe photographer of Corriere della Sera Massimo Barsoum and the freelance videomaker Roberto Di Matteo. Several hours after the incident the Rome police headquarters and the Ministry of the Interior they let it be known they are rebuilding the dynamics of what happened. “We were stopped, in the area of Via XX Settembre in Rome, by some uniformed policemen and some plainclothes officers, about ten in total” says Nittoli.
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The journalists, as always happens when there are actions by the group, were invited to meet in front of a pre-established place – in this case a local bar – without knowing what the destination would be. Then from there they moved one by one. Some on foot, some on scooter. The three reporters chose to follow the young activists on foot and were walking about twenty meters behind them when the police stopped them and asked them to show their documents: “Which we did – continues the story of the collaborator of ilfatto.it – identifying us immediately come press and showing, in addition to carte of identityalso badges dell’Order of journalists“.
A version that the Police headquarters disputes, in the evening, with a press release. “Following a check on the identifications carried out in the afternoon near Via Flavia, the personnel involved reported that the subjects on site they did not declare or demonstrate that they were journalists“, we read in the note which adds that the journalists showed identity cards which were recorded in the service report. So much so that, the note continues, “at the same time in the area of Via Veneto where a littering was taking place, other members of the journalists’ association, after showing your professional card, continued to do their job regularly without being subjected to any further control.” And yet, according to our collaborator’s story, the content of the note does not match to the truth: “We gave the documents qualifying ourselves as journalists and showing the Order card. We were told that it wasn’t necessary,” continues the story of Angela Nittoli.
Also the Department of Public Safety of the Interior Ministryin the evening, issued a statement along the same lines: “In Rome and in the rest of the national territory, a operational directive which provides for the identification of journalists and information workers at public events. Individual episodes that led to identification occurred in contexts where the qualification of journalist had not been declared or demonstrated. In any case, these are circumstances that cannot be traced back to new operating methods.” This was stated in a note from the Department of Public Safety.
The fact is that for approx half an hour reporters are detained on the Roadside, a short distance from where they had been stopped, without – wanting to follow the line of the Police Headquarters and the Interior Ministry – their qualification being clarified. Journalists are told they cannot use cell phones. But it doesn’t end here. “With the motivation of having to carry out further checks – adds Nittoli – the agents called a police station steering wheel from the Police per let us take you in police station“. Also in this case – on board the police service car – no cell phones, the officers ordered. And for this reason “they made us put our backpacks and bags in the trunk” underlines Angela Nittoli.
Once a Castro Pretorio police stationthey left searches, it is not known looking for what. After this operation the three reporters were taken to what the police defined as “little cell“, a room of maximum 2 by 3 meters with the armored door kept open, but monitored: “A bit everywhere – says the journalist of the Done – there appeared to be bloodstains.” “I asked about go to the bathroom – continues Nittoli – and I was accompanied by a policewoman and I was told to do not close the door, but to leave it ajar. To our requests to be move to the waiting roomwe were told that we were not there to file a complaint and therefore we should have stay in that place“. It all ended after about two hours: the journalists were given back their documents and allowed to leave. But after that time, says Nittoli, it was no longer possible “to do our journalistic work of documentation and filming”. The action of Last Generation activists it had in fact already ended.
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The photo above is related to the police intervention during the Ultima Generation action
2024-05-23 18:43:01
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