Buenos Aires woke up on Monday morning to find that the offices of public news agency Télam had been fenced off overnight. Police stationed outside refused to let employees into the buildings. Its journalists got an email telling them not to come to work. Télam’s website, usually a fast-flowing wire service, was shut down.

During President Javier Milei’s speech to launch the legislative year on Friday, he announced that he planned to shut Télam down, calling it “a Kirchnerist propaganda agency.” But the speed with which the government moved against the agency shocked its workers.

With around 700 employees, Télam is the biggest news agency in Argentina. Founded in 1945, it has reporters across the country and is widely used, even by large outlets, to provide detail and reporting they cannot produce in-house.

Télam workers received an institutional email on Monday at around 1 a.m., saying the entire staff was being put on a week’s paid leave from Sunday at 11:59 p.m. The email was signed by Diego Chaher, the new chairman installed by the government after President Javier Milei ordered a year-long public media takeover.

Como todos los días, hoy a las 7.30 am llegué a mi trabajo en @AgenciaTelam y efectivos de la PFA no nos dejan ingresar al edificio. Es un escándalo… pic.twitter.com/HhUbJ4gSF0

At midnight, before workers received the email, police started setting up riot fencing outside the two newsrooms in San Telmo.

Ataque a la libertad de expresión. Vallan un medio público, Télam, en plena medianoche.

El gobierno nacional esta llevando adelante uno de los peores ataques a la libertad de expresión en los últimos 40 años de democracia. pic.twitter.com/A2mY3CX4jK

A Télam reporter who asked to remain anonymous told the Herald she was stopped by a group of around 15 policemen as she tried to enter the office to begin her shift at 7 a.m. “They are not letting us go inside. The workers are here, outside, waiting,” she said.

“We were surprised, because there are no norms in place to back this [decision],” the source added.

All Télam websites show Argentina’s national logo and the message: “Site under reconstruction.”

At the time of writing, the government has not issued any documents or commented publicly to explain the situation at Télam.

After Milei’s announcement on Friday, the Buenos Aires Press Union (Sipreba, by its Spanish acronym) called a peaceful demonstration to show solidarity with Télam on Monday at 12:30 p.m. outside the newsroom at Bolívar 351. After a “solidarity hug,” the union will meet to discuss the situation.

Va hilo de fotos que sin @somostelam no existirían. pic.twitter.com/KDNuuDWZdp