Iker Jiménez and the circus of hoaxes: how the ultras and ‘magufos’ exploit the tragedy of Valencia

The tragedy of the DANA of Valencia It has been the object of manipulation by the extreme right to generate information chaos in a particularly delicate situation. Where propagators contaminate with hoaxes, journalists have to go behind them to deny them, contextualize them and offer prudence in the face of the lack of rigor of communicators like Iker Jiménez.

As occurred in the pandemic, agitators try to profit from a tragedy like the one in Valencia to get more audiences, more followers on networks and sneak in their hate speech.

‘Horizon’, a danger to truthful information.

The program Horizonpresented by Iker Jimenezhas been one of the platforms that has contributed to this dynamic of misinformation. During these days has dedicated himself to spreading hoaxes, misleading messages and demagogic speeches that contribute little to the citizens who have lost everything in the affected areas.

Jiménez and his team have even traveled to Valencia, reinforcing their narrative that only they tell the truth despite lying and paying attention to rumors and not information. The program has included messages from collaborators such as Pedro Bañoswhich fueled unfounded theories, such as that the window of Pedro Sánchez’s car was intentionally broken so that the president would become a victim.

Or unverified statements, like that of the collaborator Marc Vidal stating that the State hides the numbers of dead and missing. Not a single piece of evidence has been offered about this. Now, his tweet has collected thousands of likes and retweets. “They know the number of deaths. They know the number of missing people. They know it. But they treat us as part of a kind of demographic study to which they have to give the most horrible figures in a way that ‘society can digest,'” he said on his X account.

The Bonaire parking hoax

But, without a doubt, One of the hoaxes that has been exploited the most is the Bonaire parking lot.. In their program they said with great fanfare that there were “hundreds of bodies” in the parking lot. Jiménez later said his sources were “wrong.”

What were your sources? WhatsApp audios? Rumors on social networks? Conversations heard in the distance? In the program, the co-host Carmen Porter amplified the testimony of one of the program’s cameramen who, supposedly, had overheard a conversation between civil guards. “That parking lot is hell, in case you want to make up something else”said the communicator, skipping any verification and contrast process. Something a journalist would do.

The mud of Rubén Gisbert

Hoaxes are mixed with dramatization and spectacle. Ruben Gisbert He is another of the defined “digital activists” who became famous during the pandemic.

His profile as a spreader of false information fits perfectly into Iker Jiménez’s television space. Gisbert spread hoaxes about the war in Ukraine, spreading the idea that the Bucha massacre was perpetrated by the Ukrainians themselves. Gisbert has been caught with his hands in the mud.

The propagandist would get mud on his pants before a live performance, with the intention of appearing that he had been working hard on the work of help after DANA. In response, Iker Jiménez expressed his “perplexity” at Gisbert’s behavior.

Ultras and violence

The extreme right responded quickly to incidents during the visit of the kings, Pedro Sánchez and Mazón to Paiporta. Groups such as Revuelta, Núcleo Nacional, Desokupa and España 2000 were in the region and began to celebrate the incidents on social networks.

The agitator Pilar Baselga He used his Telegram channel to promote hatred against the president. “Too little has been done to Sánchez’s car (…) The Spanish are too lazy,” he wrote in a chat with more than 15,000 users.

The journalist Miquel Ramos identified one of the instigators of the attacks as a member of Revuelta, who was wearing a T-shirt of the Blue DivisionNazi symbol.

In other images, the king is seen talking to a man linked to the Valencia ultra stands. The National Police and the Civil Guard They are investigating the possible infiltration of ultras in the protests. And the extreme right has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack against Pedro Sánchez in a private chat, according to the diary.

The Vox union, Solidarityhas offered legal assistance to those who vandalized Sánchez’s official car. The usual ultras also surround these protests: Javier Negre, Vito Quiles and Daniel Esteve.

In parallel, there are those who have taken advantage of the tragedy to sow hatred against the migrant population. Many users have shared posts like this one from Vox —false, by the way—. But reality hits them once again.

Meanwhile, many of these speeches they overshadow the deep and legitimate discomfort of the citizens who have experienced the disaster firsthand. Those who have lacked help, organization and resources. The last thing they need is those who feed off other people’s pain for their own benefit.