It's been an afternoon of mobilisation for the staff of Catalan public broadcasters TV3 and Catalunya Radio. Workers wanted to show their rejection for the threatened intervention that would oblige them to put themselves at the orders of the Spanish government.
The measure, expected to be enacted next week via article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, has caused strong indignation within the broadcasters and outside of them. TV3 this afternoon organised an assembly in defence of free public media at its studios in Sant Joan Despí near Barcelona attended by more than 300 people. At the meeting, it was voted in favour of not recognising the Spanish authority assigned over them.
Assemblea a @tv3cat de treballadores i treballadors en defensa dels mitjans públics lliures#DefensemTV3 #DefensemCatRàdio#DefensemACN pic.twitter.com/tz08DYAamw
— Comitè Empresa TV3 (@comitedetv3) 23 d’octubre de 2017
Translator: Assembly at TV3 of workers in defence of the free public media. #WeDefendTV3 #WeDefendCatalunyaRadio #WeDefendCatalanNewsAgency
L’assemblea de treballadors de @tv3cat, en defensa d’uns mitjans públics lliures i contra l’aplicació del #155TV3 #TV3NoEsToca #DefensemTV3 pic.twitter.com/5sOJYnoQjK
— Òscar Armengol (@oscar_armengol) 23 d’octubre de 2017
The assembly of TV3 workers, in defence of free public media and against the application of [article] #155. #YouDon'tTouchTV3 #WeDefendTV3
Assemblea tv3: acabem de votar. "No tindrem més remei que no reconèixer la seva autoritat". #TV3noestoca
— Montse Armengou (@montsearmengou) 23 d’octubre de 2017
TV3 assembly: we've just voted. "We will have no other option than not recognising their authority". #YouDon'tTouchTV3
There has also been an assembly of Catalunya Ràdio workers with the presence of their director, Saül Gordillo, evaluating what it means to disobey, what consequences it could have and other doubts from the staff.
This was followed by a rally outside the broadcaster's front doors, on avinguda Diagonal in Barcelona, with shouts of "the media will always be ours" and t-shirts bearing the slogan "Without free public media there's no democracy".
#DefensemCatRàdio #DefensemTv3 #DefensemACN #TotsSomCatRàdio pic.twitter.com/Nu2vvgKIqh
— Comitè d'empresa CR (@ComiteCR) 23 d’octubre de 2017
#WeDefendCatalunyaRadio #WeDefendTV3 #WeDefendCatalanNewsAgency #We'reAllCatalunyaRadio
Direcció de @CatalunyaRadio, @ComiteCR d'empresa, consell professional i treballadors. Tots junts #DefensemCatRàdio i la llibertat de premsa pic.twitter.com/TwKUg7T1Gt
— Marc Jurado i Miró (@marcjurado) 23 d’octubre de 2017
Leadership of Catalunya Radio, workers committee, professional council and workers. All together #WeDefendCatalunyaRadio and the freedom of the press.
Sense mitjans públics LLIURES, no hi ha DEMOCRÀCIA! #DefensemCatRàdio #DefensemTv3 #DefensemACN 155 pic.twitter.com/5p2efyTsAW
— Ester Pinart (@ester_pb) 23 d’octubre de 2017
Without FREE public media, there is no DEMOCRACY! #WeDefendCatalunyaRadio #WeDefendTV3 #WeDefendCatalanNewsAgency 155
The Saturday, the Professional Council and the Workers Committee of Catalunya Ràdio warned that they "won't recognise the authority" of a new director imposed via article 155. "We reject the possibility that they might assign the management of this media outlet to an outside person who hasn't been through the procedure of being nominated by the governing body" of the CCMA (Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation) and who "isn't even supported by the Catalan Parliament", they said in a statement.