Jair Domínguez, to the judge: "The punch in the mouth was a metaphorical expression"

BarcelonaThe comedian Jair Domínguez faced this morning the trial promoted by Vox against him. The far-right party reported him for an alleged hate crime for having said that

fascism and Nazis are fought with a

punch in the mouth

, statements he made in 2021 on Catalunya Ràdio. The ultras consider that the statements were directed at them and are asking for two years in prison.

The Barcelona Court issued an arrest warrantLast week, the Barcelona Court issued an arrest warrantThe Mossos saw "sarcasm and irony" in the statementsDomínguez emphasized that his public image in the media is an "amplified version" of himself, a "humorous and exaggerated version" that is well identified by listeners: "There has always been this histrionic character that accompanies me," he stated, reiterating that he is not in favor of violence and that his comment from five years ago was no more than a call to "stand up to the rise of fascism and Nazism." "I only refer to Vox in the first part of the monologue, when I talk about the elections [...] I talk historically about what it represents," he added.

Vox's prosecution, on the other hand, considered that his words were indeed "forceful" in favor of violence and were directed against their voters, "to whom [Domínguez] describes as neo-Nazi "poligonera" Catalonia," defended the ultras' lawyer, who denied that all of this could be framed as a "joke" by the comedian. "The punch in the mouth does not require a sophisticated interpretation," he said, and also highlighted that the expression was made in a context of "violence" against recent electoral events of Santiago Abascal's party.

Vox not only directed its accusation against the comedian, but also against the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media (CCMA), to whom it requested a fine penalty. Finally, the court has prevented this second accusation because during the investigation phase, no legal representative of the CCMA – now 3Cat – was questioned, and therefore, it could not be accused as a legal entity. Nor did Vox's argument that the then director of Catalunya Ràdio Saul Gordillo had indeed testified prevail.

The Mossos saw "sarcasm and irony" in the statements

Domínguez's controversial statement was made after the Catalan elections in which Santiago Abascal's party entered the Parliament with 11 deputies: "Fascism and Nazis are fought with a punch in the face. There are no half measures, you don't negotiate with fascism," he said. Contrary to what Vox defends, however, the Mossos also saw no crime, as explained in the same trial by the agent tasked with analyzing the statements, the only witness in the trial.

In the police report, as he recalled, the conclusion was reached that Domínguez's "monologue" was delivered in a tone of "sarcasm and irony" and that, after his words, there was no "violent reaction" or "relevant event" that could be related. The agent highlighted that, despite the "polarization" context of the moment, the statements were made on a program with "high viewership" with "people of different political thoughts," and added: "We don't believe that people who commit violent acts listen to it."

His lawyer, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, also stated upon leaving the trial that the statements for which Domínguez is being tried "are protected by freedom of expression, which includes humorous and sarcastic speech." "We shouldn't have come this far, it's an absurd trial," he added. Cuevillas recalled that the hate crime of which the comedian is accused is designed to protect vulnerable groups, and Vox is not one of them.

The Barcelona Court is judging the case after last week's saga following the arrest warrant issued by the judge for the comedian to appear in court. Domínguez reacted with bewilderment: "I'm at home calmly and they can't find me," he said, making it clear that he didn't need the summons to remember that he had the trial, which has been seen for sentencing. Awaiting the court's conclusions, Domínguez had already made it clear a few days ago that he does not regret his comments about the ultras. "I would do it again [...] We keep saying that violence is not an option, but they keep using it against us. Perhaps we won't turn the other cheek," he argued on RAC1.