PSOE member attacks OKDIARIO journalist at Sánchez rally in Spain

A PSOE member assaulted an OKDIARIO journalist during Sánchez's rally in Dos Hermanas (Seville) and threatened him with "I'll smash your phone". The outlet reported the incident on X.

The rally by **Pedro Sánchez** in **Dos Hermanas** (Seville) produced a scene with little to do with economic policy. A member of the **PSOE** assaulted an **OKDIARIO** journalist covering the event and snapped "I'll smash your phone". The outlet reported it on its X account, where it has been widely shared.

## What is known about the Dos Hermanas incident

The journalist was there doing his job. There was no known provocation or prior altercation. The assault came from an attendee identified as a party member, according to OKDIARIO's post. The recorded phrase, "I'll smash your phone", points to an attempt to prevent recording or news coverage.

The episode took place at a rally, that is, in a public and political space where the press has the right to report. Assaulting or threatening a journalist in the course of their work is not a bar-room anecdote: it is an attack on freedom of information.

## Why it matters beyond the scuffle

The scene unfolds in a context of growing tension between political parties and critical media. A supporter going from slogan to physical shove is no minor detail. The line between shouting and physical aggression is crossed once and there is no going back.

Parties tend to condemn these episodes when they are the victims and play them down when their own are the perpetrators. That double standard is an old acquaintance. What matters here is the fact: a media professional was assaulted while doing his job.

## The economic cost of normalising this

There is an economic angle that is often overlooked. Free news coverage is basic infrastructure for any market: without a press able to ask questions, public contracts, budgets and subsidies face less scrutiny. And what goes unscrutinised costs more.

Every unpunished assault on a journalist makes that work more expensive. Fewer professionals willing to cover certain events, less verifiable information, more noise. The taxpayer ends up paying the price, making decisions with worse data.

If the matter leads to legal action, it is worth remembering that everyone is innocent until a court says otherwise.