The PSOE is attempting to revive the case against Hazte Oír for displaying a giant banner against Pedro Sánchez in front of Congress.

The PSOE is attempting to revive the case against the ultra-Catholic group Hazte Oír for displaying a banner in front of Congress against Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister and Secretary General of the PSOE, with the slogan “corrupt.” The party has filed an appeal against the decision taken by investigating judge María Dolores Baeza, who last week dismissed the case, concluding that the action fell within the scope of the “right to political criticism.” The Socialists reject the judge's argument: “The facts go beyond freedom of political expression and criticism of a political opponent, constituting a serious violation of political coexistence,” according to the statement of allegations filed by the party and the head of the executive branch himself. “This is not a case of political criticism,” insists the appeal filed by the PSOE and Sánchez, adding: “We are dealing with serious criminal charges against the president of the government (that is, against a state institution), using insults and falsehoods with impunity and seriously undermining the rule of law.” The brief, dated Tuesday and accessed by EL PAÍS, concludes: "Freedom of expression and criticism must be protected, but denigration, insults, and falsehoods cannot be tolerated. Obviously, the banner has seriously damaged, and continues to damage, the image of Pedro Sánchez, who is being subjected by the complainant to a smear campaign and dehumanization with impunity, which far exceeds freedom of criticism and expression. On May 19, 2025, Hazte Oír installed “a large banner” (measuring approximately 253 square meters) with a photograph of the head of the executive branch alongside the word “corrupt” on a building on Carrera de San Jerónimo in Madrid. In the background of the image were several file folders with the words “Begoña case,” “Ábalos Koldo case,” “PSOE case,” “Hermano case,” “Pedro Sánchez Attorney General case,” and “hydrocarbons case.” There was also a reference to the website elcapo.org. The PSOE then filed a complaint and another court ordered the removal of the banner as a precautionary measure. However, in the days that followed, similar banners were placed on bridges and footbridges in Madrid, and a truck drove through the capital with posters bearing the same image. Also, on May 28, 2025, the ultra-right group publicized how several people projected a beam of light onto the facade of the Congress with the expression “Sánchez corrupt.” In addition, following the dismissal of the case last week by Judge Baeza, Hazte Oír posted on its social media accounts on Tuesday a proposal to reinstall the banner in front of the Ferraz headquarters. The Socialists claim that all these initiatives show that the display of the banner in front of Congress cannot be reduced to a simple isolated act, but must be seen as part of a “campaign of discrediting and dehumanization” that is “organized, planned, and amplified” by Hazte Oír and that “promotes violence and hatred” against the adversary. “[The ultra-conservative group] continues to spread the image denounced by land, sea, and air, boasting about doing so; continuing with a criminal attitude, such as that which gave rise to this investigation,” the appeal elaborates. Therefore, the party considers the judge's “surprising” decision to dismiss the case to be “hasty,” as well as “inconsistent” and ‘contradictory’ with other resolutions in the proceedings—such as the removal of the banner as a precautionary measure upon finding “evidence of a crime.” “The possible impact on democratic coexistence and the legitimate enjoyment and exercise of participatory rights requires, at the very least, a judicial investigation to assess whether the limits of political criticism have been exceeded,” the PSOE adds. Last week, Judge Baeza concluded that the display of the banner in May 2025 lacks “criminal relevance” and falls “within the right to criticize the actions of political powers, which does not promote violence or incite hate speech.” The judge, who occupies the 12th position in the Madrid Court of First Instance (formerly the 12th Investigating Court of the capital), said that this action is protected by “repeated case law from the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights, which establishes that the permissible limits of criticism are broader when the person affected holds public office.”