The Rosario Press Union (SPR in Spanish) condemned an attack on a photojournalist in the city of Rosario, Argentina on Wednesday, Jan. 9, according to a statement published by its Freedom of Expression and Professional Development Commission. Sebastián Granata, a reporter for Página 12, attempted to cover a board meeting of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA in Spanish) when an employee or member of the group attacked him and threw him out of the building, according to the statement.
According to SPR, the suspect approached Granata and told him he could not take photographs, asked him what media organization he belonged to and said, "we're going outside," reported the website Rosario Net. According to statements, the suspect grabbed the reporter by the arm and neck and started to push him toward the exit, the website added.
Granata tweeted, "I admire the FAA farmers' respect for democracy and press freedom. They just threw me out of their meeting, cowards," reported the website.
The union asked the FAA to report the "person who acted so aggressively, he does not meet the social responsibility institutions and society have to freedom of expression, the right to information and the defense of journalism, which are indispensible for the rights mentioned," added the statement.
The Argentine Journalism Forum tweeted its support for SPR's denunciation and said that the attack would be recorded in its Freedom of Expression Monitor.
Fopea adhiere al repudio del SPR por la agresión contra el fotógrafo Sebastián Granata, de Rosario 12bit.ly/VLq7qL (cont)
— FOPEA (@fopea) enero 10, 2013
El caso agresión contra el fotógrafo Sebastián Granataquedó registrado en el Monitoreo de Libertad de Expresión de @fopea
— FOPEA (@fopea) enero 10, 2013
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.