Spanish journalist Isa Balado was beaten and touched without consent in the middle of a semi-detached house. The suspect was arrested by police shortly afterwards.
Unacceptable scene on Spanish television. Isa Balado, a journalist who works for the Cuatro channel in Spain, was the victim of a sexual assault this Tuesday while doing a duplex in Madrid for the program “En boca de todos” (on everyone’s lips, editor’s note).
Spanking and hair touching without consent
The journalist was speaking near a business whose owners were arrested after hitting a thief, who was also arrested. As she begins to talk about this news, a man appears in the background, walks up to the journalist without saying a word and beats her up. She then tries to continue her duplex business, but the man stays by her side.
“Excuse me, but did he put his hand on your butt?” says Nacho Abad, host of the show, to his colleague.
“Yes,” replies Isa Balado.
The journalist then begins to discuss her approach with the person. She then asks him to let her work while he tells her to “tell the truth.” A few moments later he walks away, not without having fun touching the journalist’s hair.
He even shows up again a little later at another duplex with the journalist. “I don’t want to give him any importance at all,” explained Isa Balado, emphasizing that she is not the only one who feels disturbed by the man in question.
Channel support
Crime journalist Nacho Abad expressed outrage at the behavior of an “idiot” on set and revealed that the show’s team had called the police.
“My fullest support for Isa Balado. A great professional player who got her butt touched live. This is unbearable!” he then wrote on X, ex-Twitter.
The Mediaset Espana group, owner of the channel Cuatro, expressed its “total support” for Isa Balado after the “unbearable situation she suffered today.”
The state police then informed about this incident on X and stated that the suspect was arrested just a few hours after the attack. An arrest filmed by authorities and shared on social media.
“What was ‘normal’ is no longer normal”
Spanish Equality Minister Irene Montero also supported the journalist and recalled that non-consensual touching constituted “sexual violence”.
“What used to be ‘normal’ is no longer normal,” the Spanish government member added, using the hashtag #SeAcabo (that’s enough, editor’s note), a slogan widely used in Spain in support of soccer player Jenni Hermoso .
A large protest movement has begun in Spain in recent weeks following the episode of the Women’s World Cup in which the president of the Spanish federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed Jenni Hermoso after his team’s coronation. Luis Rubiales, who initially refused to give up his post despite the mobilization, finally announced his resignation last weekend.
Hugues Garnier journalist BFMTV