Placido Domingo has apologised

The Spanish opera star Plácido Domingo has been facing accusations of sexual harassment since August. On Tuesday he finally apologised, acknowledging the pain he had caused to the women accusing him - but then altered this statement on Thursday. Spanish commentators take different views of his admission.

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El Periódico de Catalunya (ES) /

Humiliation instead of humility

In a very personal commentary in El Periódico de Catalunya, book author and journalist Emma Riverola urges Domingo to end his career:

“You were the god of opera. Your fans are not wrong: you are one of the greats. But like so many gods, you thought that you could break the will of others, that your admirers had to serve you. ... With your first statement, a mixture of 'I didn't realize' and 'those were different times', you humiliated the victims even more. The investigation continued and you had to send a second statement. An acceptance full of self-pity, a humiliation for all women. . . Now that you think you have 'grown after this experience' you should focus on Olympus. Retire! That way you'll remain a higher being. And you'll save us the humiliation of seeing the man in you.”

eldiario.es (ES) /

Looking back, many men would look bad

El Diario's investigative editor-in-Chief Raquel Ejerique agrees with Plácido Domingo that standards have changed when it comes to sexism:

“Amid all the justifications he also said something interesting: 'I recognize that the rules and standards by which we are - and should be - measured against today are very different than they were in the past.' Yes. In the rear-view mirror of time, many men would be in a bad position. And attitudes that were accepted, tolerated or backed would be unacceptable today and even worthy of being reported to the police. I myself - as a witness and a target of such acts - can't believe how much we let pass back then. ... But that's normal, it's called progress and awareness. We are constructing a new historical memory that must recognise the mistakes and injustices of the past.”