Sánchez’s video in front of ‘Guernica’ sparks debate over use of the Reina Sofía
The video was released during the pre-election period, but was filmed on Tuesday 20 October, when the museum was closed to the public.
A video of Pedro Sánchez in front of ‘Guernica’, posted on his social media on Saturday 24 October, has sparked debate over the use of public spaces to communicate political messages. In the recording, the Prime Minister defended his Government’s anti-war stance, its opposition to raising military spending to 5% of GDP and its criticism of the war in Gaza.
Antonio Herraiz, speaking on COPE, argues that Sánchez used a public body to campaign. The PP also criticised the recording, describing it as a pre-election campaign move. The general election is scheduled for 29 November, with the official campaign due to begin on 13 November.
The Museo Reina Sofía said the Prime Minister’s Office had requested an institutional visit and that it was handled in line with the usual procedure. According to the museum, the recording was made on Tuesday 20 October, when the main site is closed to the public, so as not to disrupt its ordinary activities. The museum said institutional visits take place provided they do not affect its normal operation.
The controversy therefore centres on two issues: the political nature of the message shared by the Prime Minister and the conditions under which a public institution allows recordings or institutional visits. The Reina Sofía is a public body regulated by Law 34/2011. The video shows Sánchez walking through the galleries before stopping in front of Picasso’s work, which he uses as a reference for his message about war and peace.
Article produced by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.
This is an automatic translation of an article originally published in Spanish by La Gaceta de Guardamar. If in doubt, the Spanish version prevails. Read the original · More news in English