Shooting at your direct competitor to inflame the controversy and the networks and raise the soufflé of polarization, exacerbating the two sides and the two Spains, is a proven effective strategy that Broncano practices successfully to regain the audience when The Revolt loses some steam. Using everyone’s television to sow hatred and, in the process, crush a communicator who is critical of the Government works. But those controversies against Pablo Motos They are perfectly searched and planned. Others not so much. This is the case of what happened this week against the Police or what happened to him in his stage of The Resistance, when Movistar withdrew the comedian who this year will give the chimes from La Puerta del Sol on TVE a complete episode in which jokes were made against Ortega Lara, and the “loft” in which the terrorist group ETA had him kidnapped.
The jokes, made during last Wednesday’s broadcast against the Police, have generated a strong response from National Police unions, who accuse the presenter of “ridiculing” the force and its 70,000 agents. It all started when Broncano, along with his collaborator Marcos Martínez, known as “Grison”, made ironic comments about the physical and academic demands to join the National Police. “With the physical level you have, you could become a national police officer,” commented Broncano, referring to Grison, who added: “Right now I’m running in front of a national police officer and I have to wait for them to take away my chin.” The phrase provoked laughter and applause from the audience. The conversation continued in a humorous tone, addressing topics such as body entrance exams and drug controls. Grison joked: “Let’s see if you believe that they are clean,” unleashing another round of laughter. Finally, when news was shown on the screen about the elimination of the spelling test in entrance exams, Grison concluded: “I’m really in. If we don’t pass it…”.
The response of police unions
The reactions have not been long in coming. The Jupol union, one of the most representative of the National Police, used its social networks to harshly criticize the statements of the program and its presenter. In a tweet, the union expressed: “We understand that it is a humor program although it is not funny at all. What is more serious is that they try to ridicule a profession as worthy as the National Police from a public channel that costs us more than 1.1 billion euros per year and a program that costs 28”. Jupol’s post quickly accumulated more than 2,000 likes and numerous supportive comments. One of them pointed out: “Let him go one day and do the physical tests and the syllabus and psychotechnical exam. And drug test, of course.” For its part, the Federal Police Union (UFP) also raised its voice on social networks, arguing that the jokes in the program were a direct attack on the professionalism and effort of the force’s agents: “Whenever you want, we put our training on the table so that you can speak with knowledge of the facts. Whenever you want, we can talk about our strict regulations on drug use and the serious consequences of non-compliance.” In its message, the UFP recalled the difficulty of the entrance tests and the constant physical demands of many units, something that, according to the union, neither Broncano nor Grison would be able to overcome. Furthermore, they added: “When you laugh at the National Police you laugh at 70,000 men and women and thousands of applicants who every year want to be part of this lifestyle.”
Opinions found on social networks
The controversy quickly spread to social networks, where the debate was polarized between those who defend Broncano’s humor and those who consider that his comments crossed a line. While many users supported the unions, others pointed out that it was a comedy program and should not be taken so seriously. “It’s incredible that a simple joke sparks this level of outrage. We have more serious problems to be offended by this,” commented one user on X (formerly Twitter). In contrast, others defended the position of the unions, ensuring that humor does not justify the lack of respect towards public institutions. The issue also reached the political sphere. The former Vox deputy, Macarena Olona, criticized Broncano on her social networks, writing: “To speak badly of the Police you have plenty of language. To be like them, you lack it… It does not only apply to Pablo Iglesias.” The UFP responded to Olona’s comment by thanking him for his defense of the institution: “Thank you always for defending the respect of this institution.” La Revuelta, which has only been broadcast for three months, has already been the subject of several controversies, and not only those that they create to make money with their confrontation with El Hormiguero, such as with the interview with the MotoGP world champion, Jorge Martín and the constant references, darts and taunts against their Atresmedia rivals.
The case of Broncano and the National Police reopens the debate about the limits of humor in the public sphere. While some consider jokes to be part of the exercise of freedom of expression, others argue that these types of comments perpetuate an unfair image of institutions essential to society. Beyond the conflicting opinions, the truth is that the relationship between humor and respect continues to be a thorny issue, especially when it involves public figures and means financed with public money. The controversy, far from dying down, will continue to fuel the debate about how far humor can go in prime time. In Movistar Plus+ Broncano already had problems due to his excesses. They made an entire program of the showman disappear from the platform because it included a monologue from a friend of the presenter, Iggy Rubín. Rubín was ironic about the kidnapping of José Antonio Ortega Lara, prison official kidnapped by ETA and founder of Vox: “We must never underestimate the extent of human cruelty. What is the extent of human cruelty? It is impossible to know. Years later he founded a party, he calls it Vox, and no one tells him “Does it mean what it means in English?” he pointed out to refer to box. “I know it’s with a vee! It’s just that the ceiling of the cellar was very low and there’s no room for a B. Be very careful about giving a seat to José Antonio Ortega Lara, who makes himself a loft!”, stated the short-lived collaborator of The Resistance. The Telefónica platform justified the censorship: “The monologue of Iggy Rubin, a guest on the program La Resistencia, does not conform to the principles of Movistar Plus+. Consequently, it was immediately removed from all platforms on the platform. “We deeply regret the damage it has caused and we apologize for it,” the statement read. Another space presented and directed by David Broncano, The radio program Modern Life also accumulated several controversies. Cadena SER, which broadcast the program, apologized for some jokes by collaborator Ignatius Farray against the city of Huelva. The Canarian comedian made fun of the alleged ugliness of the Andalusian city after talking about the badminton champion Carolina Marín: “There is a lot of merit in being a champion being from Huelva. You don’t have to mess too much with Huelva, they already have enough.” The Huelva Provincial Council showed its anger and in Prisa they agreed with the administration (and SER advertiser). “Despite there being a permanent debate about the limits of humor, which could contextualize this episode, the mere fact that a single person feels offended by comments made in this program forces Cadena SER to apologize for it,” they noted.
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