Catalan public TV presenter suggests burning the Sagrada Familia, drawing calls for a retraction

A presenter on TV3, the public television channel of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, has drawn criticism over a post on TikTok. She said that if it were necessary to guarantee housing for everyone, people should "burn the Sagrada Familia," and that she would be "in the front row." The remarks drew criticism from groups that defend religious freedom, which have pointed to the responsibility of Catalonia's public broadcaster.

The Observatorio para la Libertad Religiosa (Observatory for Religious Freedom) has launched a campaign calling on TV3 to publicly distance itself from the remarks, condemn any call to destroy places of worship and ask the presenter for a public retraction. The group said that "no one should call for the Sagrada Familia to be burned."

Concern over violence on social media

The dispute follows the riots in Barcelona on Saturday, October 24, in which 128 people were arrested, more than half of them minors. Police officers were injured and shops were looted. According to the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, and the city's mayor, the riots were called through TikTok, which has added to concerns about the effect of calls to violence on social media.

The Observatory said that "calls to violence on social media can lead to real acts" and that "no public television personality (or anyone else) should call for violence on social media. Words matter."

The responsibility of public television

The remarks were made on her personal social media accounts and not on air, but the Observatory said TV3 cannot look the other way. "Its silence also communicates," the group said in its statement, adding that a public television channel has a particular responsibility for what its contributors say.

The Sagrada Familia, the Observatory said, "is not just a monument. It is a living temple, a basilica where people pray and Mass is celebrated every day, a symbol of faith for millions of people around the world."

The presenter is Gal.la Castelltort, co-host of the program Loft on 3Cat and one of the Catalan-language influencers promoted by the Corporació, the Catalan public broadcasting corporation. She made the comments while discussing the unrest in the streets of France, playing down the burning of a French town hall and denouncing the "police abuse" that set off the protests.