The creepy nerve-tingling tune used the theme to the classic horror film The Exorcist — Mike Oldfield's composition Tubular Bells — was played under Carles Puigdemont's voice during RTVE's flagship current affairs program Informe Semanal (Weekly Report) on Saturday, November 11.
In the clip Mr. Puigdemont was saying he was aware he might go to jail over his support for independence.
In @rtve they will have thought that Puigdemont produces more fear with the music of the EXORCIST in the background.
— Carlos Merlo Dimenna (@cmerlodimenna) 11 November 2017
This is what has been @informesemanal:
pic.twitter.com/rJiUms1Jh7
RTVE's professional standards council said it was bad practice and has launched an investigation into why the music was chosen and whether a negative inference was intended.
Perhaps the exorcist is President Puigdemont to exorcise the phantom of Franco who still haunts Spanish democracy. pic.twitter.com/WkxvqCqaew
— José Luís D (@FonteRodrigues) 14 November 2017
There was plenty of criticism on Twitter for the choice of music but others found it amusing.
In spanish main public TVE while speacking about Puigdemont The Exorcist soundtrack is heard.
— Lorena Lz de Lacalle (@lorenalacalleA) 12 November 2017
Really telling. Democracy?? Revenge, Hatred, Despicable indeed. https://t.co/gCOkBNC4qM
@JulianAssange National Spanish TV plays 'The Exorcist' tune while Puigdemont talks to manipulate spaniards into hating secessionists. Can they get more ridiculous and infantile? https://t.co/wLPO6wKzpg
— Truja Sanguinaria (@TrujaSanginaria) November 13, 2017
Biased Spanish news: "Informe Semanal", awarded TVE news programme in the past, plays a theme from "The exorcist" as background to an audio from Puigdemont https://t.co/MPHYVAMSD6@RSF_inter @RSF_en @lemondefr @cnni @nytimes @washingtonpost @bbc @ndaktuell @nzz @rai1 https://t.co/bLBsf0OyN0
— Katalanski (@Katalanskt) November 13, 2017
@JulianAssange you will love this: TVE (Spanish public tv, paid with everyone's taxes) uses The exorcist soundtrack as background music during Puigdemont speech. Absolute impartiality.
— Darko Calabria (@DarkoCalabria) November 13, 2017
In spanish main public TVE while speacking about Puigdemont The Exorcist soundtrack is heard.
— Lorena Lz de Lacalle (@lorenalacalleA) November 12, 2017
Really telling. Democracy?? Revenge, Hatred, Despicable indeed. https://t.co/gCOkBNC4qM
43 Years Old
Informe Semanal has been running since 1973, ironically the same year The Exorcist came out in the cinemas.
It was launched while Spain was still under the rule of the dictator Francisco Franco, and many Catalan nationalists have accused RTE in recent months of reverting back to supporting his nationalist and fascist stance over the Catalonia issue.
Spanish Crisis
Mr. Puigdemont held a referendum and then declared the region, based around Barcelona, independent.
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has imposed direct rule, sacked the regional government, detained Catalan leaders and called a snap election.
Mr. Rajoy's party, the Partido Popular (People's Party), was formed in 1989 by a merger of several right-wing parties, many of whom included supporters of the Franco regime.
One of Top 10 Scariest Songs
The Exorcist tells the story of a teenage girl in the United States who is possessed by a demonic spirit and has to be exorcised by a Roman Catholic priest.
In a Rolling Stone poll last year Tubular Bells was named among the top 10 scariest songs.
