TV3 presenter in Spain suggests 'burning the Sagrada Familia'
The Observatorio para la Libertad Religiosa has asked Catalonia's public broadcaster to disavow a presenter who said on TikTok that the Barcelona basilica should be burned and that she would be "in the front row."
A presenter on TV3, the public television channel of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, has drawn criticism after posting comments on her TikTok account. She suggested that, if it was necessary to guarantee housing for everyone, people should "burn the Sagrada Familia," and said she would be "in the front row." The remarks drew objections from religious freedom advocates, who have focused on the responsibility of the Catalan public broadcaster.
The Observatorio para la Libertad Religiosa (Observatory for Religious Freedom) has launched a campaign asking TV3 to distance itself publicly from the remarks, condemn any call to destroy places of worship and ask the presenter for a public retraction. The observatory said that "nobody 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 organized 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 figure, and no one else, should call for violence on social media. Words matter."
The responsibility of public television
The remarks were made on the presenter's personal social media accounts and not on air, but the observatory said TV3 cannot look the other way. "Its silence also sends a message," the observatory said in a 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."
