The Minister of Equality, , has asked this Tuesday that the accusations of sexual assault against two former employees, revealed a few hours earlier by and , be investigated “to the end.” “In the face of machismo, you cannot look the other way because denial intensifies the problem. I hope it is investigated and reached to the end,” he said on the social network Subsequently, the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court has confirmed that a complaint has been filed against the singer on behalf of the workers.
In the face of machismo, you cannot look the other way because denial intensifies the problem. I hope it is investigated and reached to the end. Without questioning the presumption of innocence, in Spain the law protects victims. When there is no consent, there is aggression 👇🏻
— Ana Redondo (@_anaredondo_)
The exchange of accusations occurs after two women accused the singer of sexual assault when they both worked for the Spaniard internally in his mansions in the Caribbean, according to both media. A domestic service employee indicates that she was pressured to have sexual encounters with Julio Iglesias and describes penetrations, slaps, and physical and verbal humiliation, always according to this medium. For her part, a physiotherapist says that she was touched. Furthermore, both point out that they received insults and humiliation during their work day, in an environment of control and continuous harassment. The reported events occurred in 2021, when the youngest was 22 years old. The international organization Women’s Link Worldwide before the National Court Prosecutor’s Office on behalf of two former workers on January 5.
Redondo has referred to this information: “Without questioning the presumption of innocence, in Spain the law protects victims. When there is no consent, there is aggression. We face a complicated battle because machismo is everywhere, as was evident in the recent macro-survey that we published from the ministry, and is often linked to other elements such as abuse of power.”
Chilling testimonies from Julio Iglesias’ former workers. Sexual abuse and a situation of slavery with a power structure based on permanent aggression. Thanks to the brave women and journalists from @eldiario.es for reporting it. www.eldiario.es/cultura/extr…
— Yolanda Díaz ()
In his opinion, “sexist violence occurs within and outside couples, in the public and private spheres, and there are groups, such as domestic workers, who are especially vulnerable, being under the orders of the ‘gentlemen’. We will always be with the victims.”
The second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, has described the testimonies as “chilling” and thanks the complaint “to the brave women and journalists” who have worked on the investigation. “Sexual abuse and a situation of slavery with a power structure based on permanent aggression,” he said through Bluesky.
Meanwhile, the general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has stated that it is essential that the silence be “broken” in cases of sexual assault by “famous attackers who are protected by their money.”
Both Más Madrid and the PSOE have demanded that the Madrid regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, withdraw the Gold Medal of the Community of Madrid from Julio Iglesias. “Institutions must demonstrate that money and fame cannot buy impunity. Machismo must be incompatible with any institutional distinction of the Community of Madrid,” indicated the party spokesperson in the Chamber of Vallecas, Manuela Bergerot.
Ayuso, on the other hand, has shown her public support for the singer in
Meanwhile, the publishing house Libros del Asteroid, which published The Spaniard who fell in love with the worldby Ignacio Peyró, about the life of Julio Iglesias, has announced that it will publish a new revised edition of the work after the accusations. The seal recalled that the work was conceived “based on publicly available information before the journalistic investigation came to light, so at the time of its publication these accusations were not known nor were there public references that would allow them to be addressed in the text.”
Telephone 016 assists victims of sexist violence, their families and those around them 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in 53 different languages. The number is not registered on the telephone bill, but the call must be deleted from the device. You can also contact via email and by WhatsApp at the number 600 000 016. Minors can contact the ANAR Foundation telephone number 900 20 20 10. If it is an emergency situation, you can call 112 or the National Police (091) and the Civil Guard (062) telephone numbers. And if you cannot call, you can use the ALERTCOPS application, from which an alert signal is sent to the Police with geolocation.
