Hard awakening for the TVA Quebec newsroom. The first employees to arrive on site on Tuesday morning discovered seven vandalized vehicles in the parking lot of the station.
The Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) received a report around 5:30 a.m. On the spot, officers found that the windows of seven vehicles located in a parking lot near Wilfrid-Hamel Boulevard, in the Limoilou district , had been shattered.
Our information confirms that these are indeed vehicles belonging to the TVA newsroom. The trucks did not, however, carry any lettering associating them with the station. The only vehicle spared is electric: it was away from the scene, connected to a charging station far from where the vandalized vans were concentrated.
The police are stingy with comments due to the ongoing investigation. Our sources indicate that several surveillance cameras were directed at the scene and that the police have the footage in their hands. Only one suspect would be visible on the videos.
TVA, often targeted by virulent criticism of the media, has already suffered similar acts of vandalism. A man in his thirties had set fire to two cars belonging to the Saguenay station in December 2020. Patrick Deschenes received a nine-month prison sentence for his actions.
The Sherbrooke regional station also suffered acts of vandalism in January 2021. Five vehicles then paid the price.
Quebecor decided not to comment on the Quebec incident to avoid highlighting the gesture. The station in the national capital had not been the subject of any particular threat for some time, a contrast with a still recent era when the TVA newsroom received, according to our information, its share of hateful messages.
“Unacceptable”
“It is unacceptable, denounces Michaël Nguyen, president of the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec (FPJQ). We are hopeful that the police will investigate seriously to arrest the vandal(s). »
The FPJQ notes that the pandemic has been a high point in terms of threats and harassment against the profession. “Several companies have decided to remove the lettering on their vehicles. It’s a shame, but at the same time, I understand them, adds Mr. Nguyen. The first responsibility of a newsroom is to ensure the safety of its employees and to ensure that they are not working with a target on their back. »
He invites the population to come out of the echo chambers created by social networks to judge media work not by the particular, but by the general. “I often see accusations of complacency towards the authorities made against the media on social networks,” explains the president of the FPJQ. People shouldn’t condemn [une source d’information] in the light of a single article relayed on social networks. People have to read a whole newspaper and watch a whole newscast, because there’s an effort to reflect all points of view. »