Through their profile on Instagram, the members of COPP announced that they will wash the feet of the Télam professionals who are camped at their facilities to defend their continuity.
“On Holy Thursday, we Christians commemorate the last supper of Jesus, who, according to the Gospel of John, washed the feet of his friends as a sign of love and service to others. At today’s mass, we will repeat that gesture to renew the commitment to love and serve. We invite you to share this day with the workers of Télam who are suffering the threats of an insensitive and unjust government,” the message says.
On March 1st, during the opening of the 142nd period of ordinary sessions of Congress, Milei announced the closure of Télam, accusing the press agency of carrying out pro-Kirchnerist propaganda (followers of former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández), and attacking such institutions that speak out against him.
Three days later, the agency’s website was taken down and the Police placed fences around the Télam headquarters in the capital; workers could no longer enter the premises and received compulsory licenses and a proposal for an alleged voluntary retirement.
Télam employees are currently gathering signatures in support of a bill that ensures the agency’s continuity and grants “a relevant role to the National Congress, with the creation of a Permanent Bicameral Control Commission over Télam.”
It also proposes to “establish the form of budget financing through content marketing, advertising agency commission, donations and what is indicated by the budget law; guarantee information pluralism, federalism, and transparency; and protect real estate, as well as its entire archive, whose historical and cultural value is recognized.”
Télam was created on April 14th, 1945. It has more than 700 employees and is the only national agency with a network of correspondents in all Argentine provinces. Until its closure, it broadcast more than 500 cables per day with information from all over the country and had video departments, radio, a news portal, and social networks.
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