The PSD questioned RTP’s Board of Directors on Saturday about a animated movie referring to the police and racism, as it “apparently and unfortunately tarnishes the image and reputation” of police institutions.
The questions were posed by the PSD parliament group to the board of directors of RTP through the Assembly of the Republic, in a document that the Social Democratic parliamentary leader, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, the president of JSD, Alexandre Poço, and the deputy Andreia Grandchild.
In the document, the PSD refers that in the context of an advertising space broadcast by RTP during the coverage of the NOS Alive music festival, a animated movie in video format that “depicts a police officer in a firing range firing at various targets, without the target representing a white man being hit, and with the target representing a black man riddled with bullets”.
“O animated movieentitled ‘Carreira de Tiro’, clearly and unfortunately tarnishes the image and reputation not only of police institutions in general, but also of the professionals to which they belong”, defend the PSD deputies.
For the party, “the fact that the animated movie being broadcast on the public television channel is given even more weight, as RTP is a media organization with more public responsibilities”.
In this sense, in questions to the board of directors of RTP through the Assembly of the Republic, the PSD asks whether the television channel had “prior knowledge of the animated movie before sending it”.
“If so, are there editorial rules regarding the content transmitted, in particular to ensure the right balance between freedom of the press and the protection of other rights, namely to avoid racist, xenophobic or similar content?” they ask.
The party wonders if RTP, if it “knew the content before”, would still have broadcast the ‘cartoon’ in question.
The chairman of the CDS-PP, Nuno Melo, used social networks to criticize the cartoon, saying: “How is it possible that the interior minister, who oversees the security forces, does not immediately come to the public to honor defend and good name of the PSP? And how is it accepted that the Minister of Culture, with responsibilities related to RTP, does not assume any responsibilities nor demand from anyone?”.
The also centrist MEP concludes the post by stating that “this government needs an ethical bath”.
Criminal charges against RTP and the authors of the cartoon
The PSP’s National Union for the Career of Chiefs (SNCC) announced this Saturday that it has filed criminal charges against the authors of the animated movieand also against RTP for publishing it, as “there is an unmistakable intent to defame all police officers and portray them as xenophobic and racist”.
Contacted by Lusa, the illustrator André Carrilho, co-founder, together with João Paulo Cotrim, of Spam Cartoon – responsible for the animated movie in question – considered that the complaint “is nonsensical” as the animated movie “has nothing to do with the PSP or with the Portuguese reality”.
“We have been working for RTP and the animated movie it always happens in a context of current national and international, in this case it is international. It has to do with the event in France of the death of a young Frenchman at the hands of the police, which later led to several riots across the country,” explains André Carrilho.
In turn, an official RTP source told Lusa that “Spam Cartoon is a free opinion exercise on national and international current affairs that RTP has been organizing since 2017”, written by “some of the most recognized Portuguese cartoonists”.
“It has in no way served to incite violence against anyone. The values of freedom of expression and expression are fundamental to RTP’s democracy and public service,” the television channel stressed.
Source: DN
