A surreal exchange during a political debate in Spain has gone viral after Marxist professor Francisco Sierra apparently could not bear to look at his Conservative counterpart as she was speaking.
While videos of the debate have exploded across the internet, many have taken Sierra to task over what they see as his “bad manners” and “a lack of respect”.
Sierra, a candidate for the Congress of Deputies for Seville for the hard-left Sumar party and a professor of Communication Theory at the Seville University, refused to look at Vox party representative Rocío de Meer. He made no eye contact at all, even turning his back on her as she spoke to him.
While Meer kept her cool for the most part, she did address his behaviour. “Mr Sierra, you haven’t looked at me during the whole debate. Aren’t you from the women’s party, the feminist party? Why don’t you look me in the face?” she challenged Sierra.
The Sumar party is headed by Yolanda Diaz and is seen as a supporter of women’s rights.
Meer added: “Why, when you addressed me before, you said ‘someone’? Why don’t you respect the almost four million people who vote for my political party?”
La MALA EDUCACIÓN pic.twitter.com/BPpGW2hvJe
— Mª Mercedes Rodríguez Tamayo (@MMercedes_RT) July 12, 2023
Reaction to Sierra’s attitude has been almost entirely negative, with many labelling him intolerant, rude, sexist and sectarian.
Although the local debate between four Andalusian provincial list leaders for the Andalusian Congress of Deputies was initially little watched, Sierra’s bizarre behaviour soon sparked huge attention online.
Sierra is a widely experienced education professional, having taught and lectured as a visiting professor at universities and research centres in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Latin America.
