Overview
- Juanma Moreno Bonilla rode as the Ateneo de Sevilla’s King Baltasar with his face painted black, a practice widely referred to as blackface.
- Leaders from IU, Podemos and other left-wing groups condemned the gesture as racist, with public figures including Pablo Echenique and Ione Belarra posting denunciations on social media.
- Crowds along the route booed and shouted “Sanidad pública,” and protesters threw breast‑shaped balloons to highlight errors in breast cancer screening.
- Opposition activists pre‑positioned posters asking “Baltasar” for public healthcare, using the parade to press the regional government over the screening scandal.
- PP allies framed the appearance as valuable exposure before elections due by June 19, 2026, as polling shows the party near but not clearly over an absolute majority, and coverage noted past politicians also portrayed Baltasar with face paint.