Radio from Marília is attacked

The Diário FM Radio, from Marília, São Paulo state, was attacked last
Thursday, August 27th, during the night. Four men bounded the radio´s
security guard with a rope and destroyed the central transmission´s
equipment.

The group apparently had technical knowledge of the equipment, since
they have turned it off before attacking it several times, probably with an
axe, showing that they were probably aware of the dangerousness of a 10
thousand watts transmission equipment.

The radio´s director of journalism, José Ursílio, believes that
the authors of the crime were trained to act so. “We believe that this crime
was committed by an organization, because the burglars knew how the attack
should be and had even technical informations”, says Ursílio. A smaller
transmission equipment, used for emergencies, was also destroyed.

After the attack, the radio was off for three hours. “At the moment, the
radio is working with an extra one-thousand-watt transmission´s equipment.
We expect a big loss, since the signs were damaged and must affect
our audience and budget in the next months”, says the director.

A inquery was opened at the 5º Police District of Marília and the town´s
Police Office of General Investigations (DIG) is conducting the
investigations. José Ursílio has also made a formal require of investigation
at the Federal Police (Brazil´s Interpol).

The authors of the crime are still not known and the radio´s director
believes that the chances to find them are very slight: “we only believe
that it is possible to identify the way the crime was planned, due to
its circumstances. It is easier to identify who ordered the crime”, he says.

This was the second attack against the Diário FM radio. Four years ago, its
building was raided and burned. The authors of the attack, already convicted
in court, were, according to the radio, linked with Marília´s former
mayor Abelardo Camarinha.

At that time, 70% of the newspaper and radios that were settled at the
building were destroyed. A security guard was assaulted and robbed. “These
attacks means an audaciousness never seen before. More than the attempt to
close the radio, they were a stroke against the freedom of the press and the
listener´s right of been informed”, comments José Ursílio.