DISINFO: Spain's Pedro Sánchez demands a dictatorship in Europe
SUMMARY
At Davos, Spain’s ‘democratic’ premier Pedro Sánchez demands a dictatorial regime in the European Union by calling for the banning of European politicians who are “allies” of the Russian president. The Spanish leader falsely accuses Vladimir Putin for being an autocrat. There is a parliament in Russia, where all political forces are present, there are elections that are as legitimate as those that take place in Spain.
RESPONSE
All the allegations in this disinformation story are false. Pedro Sánchez’s speech in the Davos Forum on 18 January 2023 was very critical of some parties in the EU and demanded unity against “the rotten seeds Putin has planted in our countries”. He called on world leaders to fight them with the same determination with which the Ukrainians are fighting invading Russian forces, albeit through “democracy, transparency and effective policies”. This is radically different from “demanding a dictatorial regime in the EU”, as this disinformation story claims.
Russia is an authoritarian system and Vladimir Putin is an autocrat basing his rule on censorship, police repression and engineering fear among citizens. Elections in Russia are neither fair not free and are usually marred with irregularities and electoral fraud. Opposition leaders are usually banned from taking part in elections, imprisoned, forced into exile or murdered. Since 2021, the Russian regime has closed all remaining independent NGOs and international advocacy groups and unleashed massive repression against dissidents. Russia is in position 19 out of 100 of the less free countries in the world according to Freedom House. In contrast, Spain is in position 90 and is considered a free country.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Spanish authorities protect neo-Nazi demonstrations while sending rappers to jail, that the interruption of Pedro Sánchez’s press conference in Lithuania by Russian aircraft was staged and Russophobic, and that Germany and Belgium called on Spain to annul politically motivated sentences against Catalan leaders, or that there is an ongoing media campaign to divide Russia and Spain.