Judge María Ángeles Velázquez, of the Court of Instruction number 27 of Madrid, has decided to send the well-known presenter and communicator Risto Mejide to the bench, as well as the then collaborator of the program ‘Todo es Mentira’, Miguel Lago, for the alleged commission of a hate crime.
The case arises from a complaint filed in November 2021 by the Liberum Association and the lawyer José Luis Mazón, who argued that both communicators had engaged in said conduct by referring in a derogatory manner to people not vaccinated against COVID-19. .
The hate crime, according to the judge, is configured by the “reiteration of a conduct that, due to its severity, repetition or discursive entity, could provoke, directly or indirectly, feelings of hate.” The complaint is based on statements made by Mejide and Lago supporting measures that some countries implemented against those who chose not to be vaccinated, suggesting that those who did not receive the doses were being injected with chips for control.
Both communicators have argued that the measures that practically turned the unvaccinated into “pestilated” seemed appropriate to them. However, the complaint is based on the perception that such statements could have contributed to generating feelings of hatred towards people who decided not to be vaccinated, considering their opinions as disrespectful.
If convicted, Mejide and Lago could face sentences ranging from one to four years in prison, as well as fines of six to twelve months. Faced with this situation, both communicators have chosen to appeal to the Provincial Court of Madrid, seeking to argue in their defense in the next judicial instance.
