The police has put an end to the TV channels of Valencian public broadcaster RTVV this afternoon (12.20 CET), after the Valencian Parliament passed on Wednesday a law to put an end to the broadcaster. RTVV journalists had taken control of the broadcasting body during the last few days and had been continuously broadcasting a news programme on the TV closure.

RTVV radio channel Nou Ràdio has already been closed down.

As police entered RTVV building, workers were opposing the closure, chanting that RTVV should not be closed down and asking for the resignation of Valencian President Alberto Fabra. Workers, including journalists, repeatedly chanted "this is a coup d'état". Some of them even chanted "this government is shit".

Journalists have taken a very tough stance against the Valencian Government (which is in the hands of Spanish nationalist Popular Party, PP), to whom they are blaming for the situation. RTVV workers are saying that the PP-led government is "lying" about the true facts behind the closure. They also hold that the Valencian Government has being "censoring" informations through public broadcaster channels for years.

Hundreds of people who were against the closure have been concentrating outside the RTVV premises in Burjassot town.

PP governments against Catalan language TV channels

The end of RTVV implies that the Valencian Country is left without a single Valencian-wide TV channel in Valencian language.

Valencian is an alternative name for Catalan, which is the own language of the Valencian Country, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and eastern Aragon (Spain), Northern Catalonia (French Republic) the town of Alghero (Sardinia, Italian Republic) and Andorra.

Until 2011, Valencians were also able to watch Catalonia's public broadcaster channels, which are also in Catalan language. But the Valencian Government then decided to switch them off.

The Valencian Country is one of Spain's 17 partially self-governing communities.

PP closed down in 2011 another Catalan language public broadcaster, Ràdio i Televisió de Mallorca (Majorcan public broadcaster), also quoting financial problems.

Valencian President argues closure needed in order to save education, hospitals

Valencian President Alberto Fabra holds that there is no money left for RTVV. Earlier this month, Fabra said that he was not going to close down "a single school or hospital in order to have a TV broadcaster".

Journalists are today saying that it is simply false that RTVV will go to fund education or health services. "They are blackmailing us", workers argue.

The Valencian Country is going through a deep economic crisis since years. The Popular Party has been holding power there since 1995.