Spanish Police Arrest Man Next Day on Sexual Assault Charges
Criticism Grows Over 'Machismo' Alongside 'Forced Kiss' Incident
A man in Spain was arrested by the police for sexually harassing a female reporter during a live news broadcast, including touching her buttocks.
A man in Spain approached a female reporter during a live broadcast and touched her buttocks from behind. [Photo by X capture]
According to the French daily Le Parisien and others on the 13th (local time), Spanish police arrested a man the previous day on charges of molesting a female reporter during a live broadcast.
The victim, Isa Balado, is a reporter for Cuatro Television. At the time, she was reporting on a robbery incident on a street in Madrid.
In the footage of the report, while the reporter is holding a microphone in front of the camera, a man approaches from behind and places his hand on her buttocks, asking, "Which channel is this?"
The news anchor watching the scene in the studio asked, "Did that man just touch her buttocks?" to which Balado replied, "Yes." The anchor then requested, "Show that man."
Balado confronted the man, saying, "Did you touch my buttocks? I was doing my job." The man suddenly denied it, saying, "I did not touch you."
The cameraman, who was continuously filming the scene, said, "I will report this to the police." Only then did the man apologize, saying, "Sorry, I did not mean to touch your buttocks," and then touched Balado's head before leaving.
A man who sexually harassed a female reporter during a live broadcast in Spain is being taken into custody by the police. [Photo by X capture]
Spanish police announced that they arrested the man on charges of sexual assault and posted a video on social media (SNS) showing him being handcuffed and taken away.
Irene Montero, Spain's Minister of Equality, said on X (formerly Twitter), "Non-consensual physical contact is sexual violence, and we have sufficient means to punish it."
Diego Rosado, one of the well-known journalists of this television channel, criticized, "In a society where we hope to improve, such incidents should no longer happen," adding, "The idea that such behavior is not a problem can no longer exist."
Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish Football Association, faced strong criticism both domestically and internationally after forcibly kissing football player Jennifer Hermoso at the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup awards ceremony. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Meanwhile, recently in Spain, there has been fierce criticism of the widespread macho culture and discrimination against women in Spanish society following an incident where Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish Football Federation, forcibly kissed football player Jennifer Hermoso at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Australia-New Zealand awards ceremony.
In response, Spanish women held a large-scale protest at the end of last month condemning Luis Rubiales. Rubiales claimed it was an act done with Hermoso's consent, but eventually announced his intention to resign about three weeks after the controversy erupted.
Regarding this incident, Cristina Monge, a political science professor at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, pointed out, "There is still a sexist culture in Spain, which is very traditional and deeply rooted in society."
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