The Spanish state broadcaster apologizes for the “Catalanphobic” comment to the manager
Spanish state television RTVE has apologized for one of its journalists, after a xenophobic comment towards Catalans.
The incident happened on Sunday evening, as Spanish manager Manolo Gonzalez he spoke to the press after a defeat in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. Gonzalez was asked a question in Catalan, and complained about the award of the wall by the referee.
After those comments, Gonzalez said, “You don't understand Catalan, do you?”, before going on to explain what he had said to the reporter. The local reporter could then be heard saying “No, thank God”.
Espanyol coach Manolo González: “You don't understand Catalan, do you?”
Journalist from Las Palmas: “No, thank God”
— Albert Ortega (@AlbertOrtegaES1) December 22, 2024
The president of RTVE, Jose Pablo Lopez, later took to Twitter/X to apologize for his behavior.
I apologize for these statements that do not represent RTVE. Co-official languages are a wealth and ignorance of them is not a reason for pride. We continue with our plan to promote the linguistic and cultural diversity of our country. https://t.co/DdhqPTqNkk
— José Pablo López (@Josepablo_ls) December 23, 2024
“I apologize for these statements that do not represent RTVE. The co-official languages are a wealth and ignorance of them is not a reason for pride. We will continue with our plan to promote the linguistic and cultural diversity of our country,” as ' and quoted by MD.
He proceeded to post the same message in Catalan under that tweet. There have been a number of similar incidents in recent years, mostly involving Basque and Catalan managers who tend to hold press conferences in either Castilian Spanish or their regional language.
