The Valencia public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation against Juan Manuel Badenas, deputy mayor of the city and spokesperson for Vox, for alleged hate crime. The outrage arises from statements made by Badenas after a homicide on July 30, when, without foundation, he attributed the crime to a migrant, even though the perpetrator turned out to be a Spaniard.
When the crime was announced, Badenas declared: “When he is arrested, immediate expulsion to his country. Racism? No. It’s justice.” However, his speech became more aggressive the next day, when he told the media: “He would not have died if his alleged murderer had not entered Spain”. This series of statements provoked indignation among Valencian socialists, who denounced his speech.
The prosecution took into consideration Badenas’ long history of spreading messages against migrants. Recently, he declared that “the Moors are invading us while they are rearming” and accused President Pedro Sánchez of “selling Spain to the Moors.” Additionally, in a previous controversy, he defended Nazi ideology, stating that “Being a Nazi is not a crime”although he tried to clarify that he did not identify with this ideology.
