Rival Spanish politicians ‘reconcile’ for Christmas in parody AI video

Picture the scene. A hug between Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his conservative opponent Alberto Núñez Feijóo in front of a Christmas tree.

Former King Juan Carlos and his estranged wife Queen Sofía share a kiss while wearing Santa hats.

Such moments may be impossible to fathom in reality, but a video shared on X has made them possible, at least virtually.

Set to the song Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and titled The Magic of Christmas, the creative collective United Unknown has created an AI-generated video showing several Spanish political rivals, foes or unlikely bedfellows reconciling in the festive season.

The group refers to itself as “visual guerrilla, video and image creators”. It uses deepfake technology to produce satirical videos, many of which poke fun at Spanish lawmakers.

The latest Christmas-themed video has been viewed at least 3.4 million times on X since its publication on 20 December and has attracted thousands of likes and retweets, including by one of the video’s subjects, a politician and Catalan separatist.

However, while many people on X have celebrated the video’s Christmas spirit and its “alternative world,” the AI-generated satire has also raised concerns. “It’s all fun until we can’t distinguish between reality and AI creations. This should be banned,” one user said.

Sánchez and Feijóo’s hug

The rivalry between the People’s Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) is historic, but the video shows their leaders embracing in a warm Christmas hug.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía’s passionate kiss

The relationship between the former king and queen of Spain continues to raise questions.

Juan Carlos has been living in Abu Dhabi for four years, while former Queen Sofía resides in Spain.

The video shows them sharing a kiss at Christmas time.

Puigdemont and Junqueras make peace

Catalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras differ in their strategies regarding independence, but this image suggests all has been forgiven.

Rufián and Abascal’s friendly embrace

Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far-right Vox party, and Gabriel Rufián, spokesman for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in Congress, share radically differing political views, but the AI-generated video shows them embracing and laughing.

The satire has even impressed Rufián himself, who retweeted the post.

Díaz Ayuso and Díaz’s knowing look

Madrid’s conservative regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a member of the Popular Party (PP), and Minister of Labour and Social Economy Yolanda Díaz of the party Sumar, represent two opposing political spectrums.

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However, in the video, they are seen sharing a warm smile and a friendly embrace as they hold each other warmly.

Errejón and Iglesias’ chuckle and cuddle

Podemos co-founders Íñigo Errejón and Pablo Iglesias have long been estranged, but in the video, their feud seems to be a thing of the past as they cuddle and laugh together.