Guy Hedgcoe
Appearances
Up First from NPR
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
Very soon after the kiss took place, there was a very strong backlash against Mr Rubiales back here in Spain. A social backlash. There were people taking to the streets to protest against him and to demand that he be removed as president of the federation. There were politicians who waded into this. We heard Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaking there.
Up First from NPR
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
But there were other politicians from across the political spectrum who also spoke out, almost all of them criticizing Mr. Rubiales. And overall, there was a feeling that this had really overshadowed a major achievement by the women's team. It was a controversy which dragged on for quite a long time and which obviously is now being talked about a lot again. Why has it come to trial?
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USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
It's come to trial because the public prosecutor decided there was a case here. There was an investigation carried out into this by the investigating judge to decide whether this could go to trial. The judge decided that there was enough evidence to put Mr. Rubialis on trial, not just for sexual assault, for that kiss that he gave Jenny Edmondson,
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USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
but also for coercion, for allegedly trying to force Jenny de Maussan to support his version of events, to try and make her say that there was consent when he kissed her, when she had said there wasn't.
Up First from NPR
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
So he's going on trial for those two charges, and there are also three other men, three other former members of the Federation, allies of Mr Rubialis, who will also be facing those coercion charges as well.
Up First from NPR
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
He said that it was a consensual kiss. He said that there's no case here, he hasn't done anything wrong, that he actually asked Jenny El Morsoy if he could kiss her beforehand. He said she said that he could. So he said there's no case to be answered here as far as he's concerned. And when this whole controversy blew up, he in fact said that it was being stirred up by false feminists, as he put it.
Up First from NPR
USAID Programs Halted, Netanyahu in Washington, Rubio Visits Panama, Cannabis Safety
So he has spoken out very strongly against the case being made against him with this trial. Guy Hedgcoe in Madrid.