Miguel Sánchez, the 'sheriff of Magaluf'

Miguel Sánchez, who appeared on national television on Thursday. | M.S.

Andrew EdePalma28/07/2023 08:40
TW
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Miguel Sánchez, the Magalluf hotel security guard who features in a video that went viral on social media, has found unexpected national fame. On Thursday, he appeared on the Telecinco programme Así es la vida. This was, he says, "quite an experience".

Miguel, 46, was already known in Mallorca for having set up a charity - Ayuda a tu gente - for distributing food to poor people on the streets of Palma. "I lived on the streets and I know how hard it is. For that reason, I decided to launch the initiative." But that is nothing by comparison with the "tsunami" caused by the video.

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He asked a group of British tourists to end a party in a room in his hotel. As much as anything, it was his mix of Spanish and English - his Spanglish - that caused the social media interest. He says that they wanted to make fun of his way of speaking but that this backfired. Instead, there has been a positive impact among friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

His bosses have told him that he didn't do anything wrong. His actions, with the additional ingredient of his English, made the tourists see that "we are not bullies or aggressive". "We are simply doing our job." He appreciates all the support, much of it from people he doesn't know. There have been "thousands of WhatsApps".

He is now popularly and affectionately known as the Magalluf sheriff. Reflecting on the events, he adds that he maybe needs to find a way "to improve my vocabulary and the way I express myself".