AJM and SSNM: Journalist and cameraman from TV Alsat prevented from doing their job

This morning, a report was received by AJM from a journalistic team of Alsat television, which was prevented from doing its job professionally during the protest in the municipality of Chaska in front of OU “Todor Janev” against the introduction of an Albanian language class in the school.

After colleague Avni Tahiri and cameraman Novica Apostoloski arrived in front of the municipality, some of the protesting people denied them access and entry into the municipality and began verbally attacking them, while also trying to physically remove the camera, as can be seen from the video published on the official website. Alsat TV Facebook page.

“What are you filming… Put the camera down, you’ve been told 100 times put the camera down, stop!”

To the reaction of the cameraman Apostoloski, who says – I did not come home to film, one of the protestants says: “Well, he came to my house, this is mine, it’s state-owned, that’s all you’ve learned, get out of there, come on.”

Then, after a short inappropriate conversation, the person who is trying to expel the cameraman, enters the municipality and does not allow him to enter the municipality.

According to colleague Tahiri, after the incident, they again tried to enter the municipality in order to take a statement from the mayor, but were once again prevented from entering, this time by the guard in the municipality.

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) are demanding an explanation from the municipality regarding the prevention of the journalist team from entering a public institution. We want to clearly point out that the attitude towards journalists and media working in the field is of critical importance for the freedom of information and expression in a democratic society. Violence and preventing journalists from performing their professional task is unacceptable, is not in line with democratic values and contributes to censorship.

Photo: FB video