Italian journalist Lucia Goracci has filed a complaint against a Romanian senator after an interview degenerated into an altercation and the senator’s husband physically assaulted her, she said.
Threatening
Ms Goracci who works for state broadcaster RAI 1 went to interview Diana Sosoaca about her anti-vaccination views for a report about the pandemic and low vaccination rates.
The journalist said she was prevented from leaving the senator’s office who called the police. She said the senator’s husband Dumitru-Silvestru Şoşoacă, ripped off her mask, pushed her and bit her hand, News.ro reported. Police have questioned him.
A fixer who was working with the crew said that Ms Sosoaca initially spoke English and then wanted to switch to her native Romanian.
“She told me to be careful how I translate as she knows English and Italian,” the fixer Delia Marinescu said.
Solidarietà a Lucia Goracci (@ZiaLulli1) del @Tg1Rai bloccata e aggredita in Romania da una senatrice mentre faceva il suo lavoro. Un politico che usa il potere per zittire l'informazione tradisce l'idea stessa di democrazia pic.twitter.com/GSJ9sHkZCz
— Lapo Elkann (@lapoelkann_) December 13, 2021
„The Italian reporter then asked her if she was threatening me. And (the senator) said: ‘if you don’t like it, you can leave.’ We got up to go and she changed her mind, she locked the door and called the police, saying that we’d entered her office without her permission,” Digi24 reported.
The senator, who is a lawyer, can be heard telling her husband to stop as he lashes out. Silvestru Şoşoacă is charged with assaulting a police officer and has been placed under judicial control for 60 days.
Altercation
Rai Uno posted a 17-minute video with images of the altercation. The police can be seen arriving at the office. They escort the journalist and the team away for questioning.
As they are being led away, the senator accuses the TV crew of trespassing and tells the police to search them „as they may have stolen something.” She orders them to delete the footage.
Italian daily La Stampa wrote that Ms Goracci had been “held hostage with the Rai television crew in Romania after an interview with anti-vaccine senator Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă,”.
La Stampa said that the journalist and crew was released from police custody eight hours later after the Italian ambassador intervened.
Kidnap
The journalist can be heard telling police: “You aren’t protecting us. We are journalists.” Ms Goracci filmed the scene saying “this is kidnap.” The senator responds: “Get out.”
The senator then says: „I don’t give a shit. You are media, I am a senator and you have to respect everybody.”
RAI 1 were on assignment in Romania doing a report about low vaccination rates and the anti-vaccination movement.
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