Lately, I’ve been haunted by a feeling I can’t shake: that some people seem to be taking real pleasure in the harm they’re causing with the smear campaign against Ramón Flecha and the CREA group. And I don’t mean unintended consequences or collateral damage; I’m talking about intentional harm. The kind that’s fed word by word, by deliberately ignoring the truth, silencing victims who were heard, and trying to destroy without any space for dialogue.
Isolating violence isn’t just about causing pain to those who support the victims; it’s also about enjoying it. And that kind of pleasure becomes dangerous when it gains power. When it instills fear, when it turns into rigid dogma, when it creates an environment where speaking up, asking questions, or defending someone becomes suspicious. At that point, it’s no longer about finding the truth. It’s about punishing.
And when the punishment is directed at those who have supported victims of sexual and power abuse —when people are attacked because they tried to protect someone— we’re not just facing disagreement. We’re facing an attempt at collective lynching.
This is deeply troubling. Because a society that punishes those who stand up against abuse is a society that undermines the very foundations of democracy. Democracy needs brave people. It needs open spaces for all voices to be heard. It needs dialogue without fear of retaliation. But when anonymous accusations are given center stage, when people who try to speak up are silenced, when fact-checking is no longer allowed, that’s not debate. That’s a witch hunt.
I’m not trying to equate different historical contexts, but we should remember that the most authoritarian regimes didn’t just go after the victims. They also went after the people who defended them. And the pleasure with which those campaigns were carried out was part of the horror. The worst kind of isolating violence isn’t just violence, it’s turning violence into a show. Into public punishment meant to scare the rest.
I see it today in those who repeat accusations without evidence. In those who refuse to listen to other perspectives. In those who seem to celebrate each time another person is forced into silence. That logic is pulling us further and further away from any kind of fair or free society.
That’s why speaking out isn’t just a right, it’s a responsibility. Defending those who stand by the victims isn’t blind loyalty. It’s a commitment to truth and justice. Supporting these attacks isn’t a sign of sorority. It’s handing power to people who enjoy tearing others down. If we want a society that protects those who protect others, we have to take a stand. Otherwise, we’re leaving everything in the hands of those who enjoy watching it all burn.
👀 Visitas: 72
