In Spain, blasphemy complaints are a lever in the culture war

LETTER FROM MADRID

On the evening of December 31, 2024, during the entertainment program of Spanish public television TVE accompanying the transition to the new year – this moment when the Spaniards swallow twelve grapes to the rhythm of the twelve strokes of midnight to guarantee happiness and prosperity –, presenter Lalachus showed her own charm on the air: an image of Christ whose face she replaced with that of the cow from the game “Grand Prix”, the local equivalent of “Intervilles”.

The reaction of the Spanish ultra-Catholic nebula was quick. The Abogados Cristianos (“Christian Lawyers”) foundation announced that it was filing a complaint for “offending religious feelings.” The anti-abortion and anti-same-sex marriage organization Hazte oir (“Make Yourself Heard”) followed suit. The far-right Vox party has asked “apologies” on the chain. And the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello, was moved, on “mockery against Christian symbolism”.

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