Kirchner minister intimidates the creator of Gaturro and provokes a wave of indignation in Argentina

From cartoonists and users of social networks, to politicians, organizations that defend freedom of expression and business leaders, they have agreed in the rejection of the words of Anibal Fernandez, Minister of Security of Argentina, poured on Twitter against the illustrator Nik, creator of the famous character Gaturro, who has described them as a “veiled” threat against his daughters.

On October 8, Cristian Dzwonik – Nik’s real name – criticized on his Twitter account the subsidies provided by the current government of Alberto Fernández. “Give away refrigerators, jugs, graduate trips, plans, little money, whatever, whatever comes. How sad not to hear the word WORK, EFFORT, FUTURE, FUTURE”Wrote the illustrator.

Two days later, the message received a response from Aníbal Fernández, head of the Security portfolio. “Many schools and colleges in CABA receive subsidies from the State and that’s fine. For example the ORT school / college. Do you know her? Yes you know her … Or do you want me to draw you the little picture? Excellent school I guarantee. I repeat … do you know her? (sic)”, Published the official.

Immediately, the minister’s words set off alarms for referring to the school that Nik’s daughters attend. The illustrator did not take long to denounce on the same social network what he described as a “veiled” threat against minors.

“The security minister @FernandezAnibal dedicates a persecutory tweet to me with a “veiled” threat, implying that he knows the school where my minor daughters go. The minister who must give ‘SECURITY’ to all Argentines harasses those who think differently. I’m afraid”He tweeted.

“The rector of the Ort school confirmed that he does not receive any type of subsidy from the State, zero subsidy. The minister gives false information. Hours later @FernandezAnibal, who mentions me on his Twitter but has me blocked, deleted his tweet”Continues the illustrator.

WIDESPREAD REMOVAL

Nik’s public complaint quickly received the support of hundreds of users and colleagues in the field, grouped under the hashtag #WithGuysNo and #ConNuestrosHijosNo.

Among the criticisms was that of the Clarín newspaper journalist, Alejandro Alfie, to whom the minister responded by assuring that he had apologized to Nik.

“I did not threaten anyone. I told Nik that if he felt threatened, I apologized. My rings are not falling off. I just don’t hurt, ”Fernández tweeted.

During an interview with the Argentine TV channel A24, Nik confirmed that he had received a WhatsApp message from the minister. “He told me that his rings do not fall to apologize; that made me even more nervous, “he said.

“The paradox is that (Fernández) is the Minister of Security of the Nation. All Argentines are afraid because children are the most sacred thing we have, “added the illustrator.

The National Academy of Journalism, for its part, issued a statement expressing its “most emphatic repudiation of the threat suffered by cartoonist and humorist Cristian Dzwonik, popularly known as Nik,” cites an article published on the Radio Miter website.

Fernández, after reading the critical opinion on the government’s political decisions, “made a show after the personal information he has about Nik, especially about the school where his daughters study “, the statement continues.

The renowned cartoonist Liniers also spoke out in this regard, repudiating the attempted intimidation by the minister.

“I will have my differences with Nik but I agree with him that the expression” We know what school your children go to “, no matter how sneaky you are to say it, is very funny. More if you say it from a position of state power, “he wrote.

“In a democratic and republican country, a Minister of National Security abusing power and using confidential personal information to intimidate a citizen constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights”Wrote different Argentine businessmen, such as Gabriel Martino, former CEO of HSBC Argentina bank; Guibert Englebienne, the co-founder of the technology company Globant; the tax expert César Litvin, CEO of the Lisicky, Litvin y Asociados law firm; and Ricardo Neme, the director of Censys, points to an article in La Nación.

WAIVER REQUESTS

Beyond the cultural and business sphere, various Argentine political figures condemned Fernández’s words. Former President Mauricio Macri assured that he was not astonished by the minister’s action.

“WE ARE ALL NIK. I do not get out of my astonishment. Security Minister Aníbal Fernández threatened Nik for criticizing from a tweet the delivery of refrigerators, carafes and trips of graduates for electoral purposes”, The ex-president tweeted.

The head of government of the City of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, used the same social network to describe Fernández’s actions as “an intimidating action”Against the illustrator.

“What Aníbal Fernández did with @Nikgaturro is an intimidating action that we cannot miss. For an official to expose a person’s children and expose their data in retaliation for receiving criticism from them is outrageous”He noted in a tweet on October 12.

That same day, the minister declared to Todo Noticias that “I said what I thought about subsidies. There is no grievance, there is no insult to anyone in particular. Nik lives aggravating us”, He assured.

“It is mandatory to clarify the issue of what was thought to be a threat. I would never mess with anyone’s children. If he took it like this, if it felt like this, I sincerely apologize“Added the official.

However, Fernández’s apologies were not an impediment for the opposition deputies to request an interpellation to the minister in which he explains the use he gives to the private information of citizens, and responds to the “insults” that he poured against the cartoonist and “leader of the opposition.”

“On October 11, the Minister of Security Aníbal Fernández engaged in conduct of institutional gravity, answering the cartoonist Nik, (who had expressed criticism of the delivery of plans, refrigerators, trips of graduates by the government) with an evening threatens, using private family information, indicating that he knew which school the daughters of the aforementioned artist attended”, Argued the legislators before Parliament, cited in a TN article.

THE PROTAGONISTS

Cristian Dzwonik, who uses the stage name Nik, is a cartoonist who has worked since 1992 for the newspaper La Nación, where he regularly publishes cartoons dedicated to political humor.

In 1996 he created Gaturro, his most famous character. During his career he has worked in media such as Muy Interesante, El Cronista and Revista Noticias. In addition, it has collaborated with Unicef ​​Argentina on different occasions, using Gaturro to amplify the messages of said UN office.

His career has not been free of scandals, the main ones being the plagiarism complaints that have led him to confront colleagues such as Quino, Caloi, Fontanarrosa, Paz, Rudy, Kappel and Bill Waterson, among others from both the Argentine and foreign media, he reviews an article from A24.

Aníbal Fernández, for his part, is a politician with a long history. He began his militancy at the age of 14, as part of a Peronist family. He held different state positions as a public accountant before becoming a minister for the first time, in 2002, when former President Eduardo Duhalde appointed him head of the Production portfolio.

He has also headed the Ministries of the Interior, Justice, Security and Human Rights, and the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers during the terms of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He was a senator for Buenos Aires from 2011 to 2014 and since September of this year he is Minister of Security.

Among the main controversies that he has faced during his political life is remembered that of 2006, when as Minister of the Interior he assured that there was no increase in insecurity in the country and that it was only a “sensation” among the people.

In 2011, he assured that Mario Vargas Llosa and Fernando Savater “say stupid things” in response to their criticism of the Peronism and populism of the Kirchner government.

Four years later, he assured that in Argentina there were fewer poor people than in Germany, as part of the defense of the then president Cristina Fernández who assured that in the country there was a poverty rate of 5% and 1.27% of indigence.