PSOE and BNG have demanded that the president of the Provincial Council and of the PP of Pontevedra, Luis López, and the first vice president of the provincial body and leader of the PP in the city, Rafa Domínguez, remove their chief of staff, Álvaro Rodiño, from his position. The reason is his appearance in a video circulated on TikTok in which, according to the socialists' criticism, "he jokes claiming that he would hit the heads of orphaned children with a golf club."
Rodiño has responded to the controversy personally, emphasizing that the recording is limited to his "personal" sphere and framing it within a TikTok 'trend' that has gone viral in recent months. This trend consists of filming a person answering a question and, in the editing, replacing it with another different one, often absurd or politically incorrect.
"The video is three months old and is part of one of the many humor 'trends' that usually circulate on social media. I have been working in this environment for years and I know that language, that type of content, and the context in which it was made perfectly. I believe that the video itself makes clear the joking tone, even by my reaction and my way of laughing," he argues.
Even so, he admits that "by taking a few seconds out of that context and viewing them in isolation, someone may interpret them differently." "If anyone has felt offended, I sincerely apologize."
These explanations have not satisfied the PSOE of Pontevedra, which in a statement announces not only its demand for immediate dismissal but also the filing of a complaint for an alleged hate crime before the provincial Prosecutor's Office. The BNG, for its part, links the chief of staff to "totally unacceptable hate statements" in a person who holds "a position of responsibility."
Reactions from the Pontevedra PSOE and Minister Puente
The spokesperson for the provincial PSOE, Laura Iglesias, claims to feel "disgusted to the point of nausea" when seeing "images in which a worker of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, linked to the PP, dehumanizes minors."
Iglesias highlights that "he is a temporary employee of the Provincial Council" and that he receives an annual salary of over 48,000 euros. In her opinion, "someone who behaves this way and allows his wife to upload repugnant videos of this type does not deserve to earn a single cent of public money." "It is not enough to ask for excuses. If he does not resign immediately, he should be fired," she emphasizes.
Other socialist leaders have also intervened on social networks. The former president of the Provincial Council, now councilor, senator, and president of the PSdeG, Carmela Silva, has expressed her "disgust" and has also demanded "cessation and denunciation before the Prosecutor's Office."
On the same social network, the MEP Nicolás González Casares has responded: "Well, if it's humor, it could be done differently, because it has no grace at all. But well, it's better that they keep playing with their golf clubs, as they don't harm anyone." The controversy has also been joined by the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, who adds: "Above all, denunciation before the Prosecutor's Office, because he is neither going to resign nor will they dismiss him."
The version of Álvaro Rodiño and his apologies
Rodiño insists that what worries him the most is that "it may be interpreted that there is some kind of contempt in me towards a child, towards an orphan, or towards a vulnerable person." "That is far from how I am and, above all, from how I understand life," he adds, recalling that he has promoted social actions, such as a campaign to collect sneakers to send to children in Guinea-Bissau.
He also emphasizes that he was not the one who uploaded the content to the social network, although, by appearing in it, he considers that it is his responsibility to "face it and personally explain what happened." "And I want to make it clear that this belongs solely to my personal sphere and has no relation to my work or to the political or institutional activity in which I carry out my work," he highlights.
In his final reflection, he admits that he is not going to deny that the video "may seem unfortunate" nor that someone "may interpret it differently from the intention with which it was made." "I understand it, I regret it, and I again apologize to anyone who may have felt hurt or offended," he concludes, attempting to close the controversy.