The PP does not condemn harassment of the press

The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, lost this Thursday the opportunity to defend the constitutional right to information and to censor the harassment to which her chief of staff, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, subjected two journalists from EL PAÍS on Tuesday. .

On the contrary, she once again presented herself as her victim in order to avoid assuming the political responsibility that corresponds to her.

In just one week, a private problem of businessman Alberto González Amador with the Treasury, which denounces him for tax fraud that he himself acknowledges, has led, at the hands of his partner, the Madrid president, to an accusation against “all the powers of the State” of conspiring against him and, now, in an unprecedented attack against the press that is investigating him.

The public interest of González's business activities is indisputable, since he bought his home after multiplying his income thanks to the contracts investigated by the Treasury.

That house is the current residence of Ayuso, the first authority of Madrid.

On Tuesday, two reporters from EL PAÍS went to the area where the building is located to ask details about some works on that house from the neighbors on the public street.

When questioned by an agent from the president's surveillance service, they identified themselves.

The interaction was professional and respectful.

That night, Ayuso's chief of staff released their names, surnames and photographs, accusing them of "harassing" neighbors, including minors.

Despite the police presence, there is no report stating anything similar.

If this were the case, a judicial complaint would be expected and not the exercise of public intimidation launched by Rodríguez, a public official, against the reporters.

The hoax was repeated by similar libels and amplified on social networks until it led to threats.

Adding to the lies and the revelation of personal data is the targeting of journalists.

This Thursday, Isabel Díaz Ayuso repeated the hoax again, word for word in the parliamentary headquarters, in the plenary session of the Madrid Assembly.

She thus assumes Rodríguez's behavior and confirms, therefore, as an official policy of the Community that she presides over the harassment of his chief of staff to the press.

Associations made up of professionals from the most diverse media, editorial lines and ideological tendencies such as the Federation of Associations of Journalists of Spain, the Madrid Press Association, Reporters Without Borders and the Association of Journalists condemned this intimidation strategy on Wednesday.

As this majority response demonstrates, and contrary to what the Madrid president and her team intend, this is not a controversy between her Government and one or two media outlets, but rather an attack by public officials on freedom of the press, a right included in the Constitution.

The PP is also responsible for ensuring that this attempt to intimidate professionals is not normalized.

Its national leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, was understanding with Rodríguez this Thursday and avoided all criticism of his actions.

The Madrid version of Trumpism had been complying with all the chapters of the populism manual: victimhood in the face of criticism, denialism of the most basic consensus and a great ability to hijack public debate with thunderous declarations.

Missing from this pattern, until now, was the accusation against the uncomfortable press, including names, surnames and photographs of reporters thrown at fans.

We cannot allow something like this to begin to be considered normal in a democracy like Spain's.