Andorra Fines the Crepero de la Rotonda Over His Spanish-Language TikTok Videos

The well-known Crepero de la Rotonda, who has become one of Andorra's most popular social media personalities thanks to his humorous videos and distinctive interactions with customers, has told La Veu Lliure that he has received a fine from the Andorran authorities for publishing videos in Spanish on TikTok.

According to the owner of the crêpe shop, the authorities responsible for language policy consider his videos to constitute advertising for his business and therefore subject to the linguistic obligations established under Andorran legislation.

However, the businessman disputes this interpretation, arguing that his posts are not intended as advertising but are instead part of a comedic character he performs for customers and social media followers.

“I've been fined by the language policy authorities for speaking Spanish in some TikTok videos. In other words, I've received a fine just for speaking Spanish on TikTok. It's unbelievable,” he told this newspaper.

“I'm Playing a Character, Not Advertising My Business”

The central disagreement between the Crepero de la Rotonda and the Andorran authorities concerns the nature of the videos published on social media.

While, according to the businessman's account, the authorities regard these recordings as a form of commercial promotion, he maintains that they are spontaneous comedy performances rather than advertising campaigns.

“I'm not advertising my business. I talk, I play the character, I put on a show, whatever you want to call it. But going as far as fining people for speaking Spanish...” he complained.

The owner explains that many of the recordings happen spontaneously when customers visit his establishment and decide to film their interactions with him.

“People come in already filming me. When I see they're recording, I start playing the character. I'm not going to perform the character in Catalan when the customer filming me is speaking Spanish to me,” he argued.

He also stressed that he speaks Catalan fluently and has no objection to using Andorra's official language when serving customers.

“If a customer comes in without filming, I speak Catalan perfectly well. But if a Spanish tourist comes in, I play the character,” he clarified.

His defence therefore rests on distinguishing between the language obligations applicable to commercial establishments and the freedom to perform a comedic character in a particular language.

The Businessman Had Already Received a Warning a Year Earlier

The dispute between the businessman and the Andorran authorities is not new.

As he revealed to La Veu Lliure, he received an administrative warning approximately a year ago, informing him that his videos had to be published in Catalan.

The owner says he had already expressed his disagreement with this requirement at the time.

“I received a notice about a year ago saying that my videos had to be in Catalan. But I told them I didn't think it was reasonable to speak Catalan in my videos when my character speaks Spanish,” he explained.

From his perspective, forcing him to change the language of his character amounts to interference with a creative activity that he considers independent of the commercial promotion of his establishment.

The businessman insists that his videos are intended to entertain and that his popularity on social media stems precisely from the comedic style he has developed.

“When I record a video myself, I also play the character, which people enjoy. I create a character to entertain people, through humour or dark humour, whatever you want to call it,” he said.

The Crepero de la Rotonda Has Already Appealed the Fine

In response to the penalty, the Crepero de la Rotonda has confirmed that he has already filed an administrative appeal, presenting arguments explaining why he believes his videos should not be classified as commercial advertising.

“For now, we've already appealed the fine, explaining that I'm not advertising the business because the business is already more than well known. I'm playing a character that people enjoy. People come in, film me and, I repeat, I play a character,” he stated.

The owner also expressed frustration over what he considers excessive administrative pressure on his business activities and social media publications.

“I feel there are people trying to go after me for any reason they can find,” he claimed.

For the time being, the administrative proceedings remain ongoing, and the businessman is awaiting the authorities' response to his appeal.

What Does Andorran Law Say About Advertising in Spanish?

The controversy arises in the context of the implementation of Law 6/2024 of April 25 on the Own and Official Language of Andorra, which establishes various linguistic obligations for businesses, commercial establishments and advertising activities.

Article 16 of the legislation regulates the use of Catalan in commercial advertising, including certain communications distributed through digital media.

Andorran law establishes obligations concerning the use of the country's official language in commercial communications and promotional activities aimed at the public.

Failure to comply with certain advertising-related provisions may constitute a serious administrative offence, punishable by fines ranging from €1,201 to €6,000, under the legislation's penalty framework.

The fundamental legal question in this case is whether the humorous videos posted by the businessman on TikTok can be considered advertising for his establishment or whether they instead constitute entertainment content that should not be treated in the same way as a commercial advertising campaign.

This distinction is particularly relevant because the businessman maintains that the recordings are not part of an advertising strategy but arise from spontaneous interactions with people visiting his crêpe shop.

The Case Raises Questions About Language Requirements and Creative Freedom

The fine reported by the Crepero de la Rotonda raises an issue that extends beyond his individual circumstances: to what extent can language requirements governing commercial advertising be applied to humorous content published by a business owner on social media?

Protecting and promoting Catalan, the sole official language of the Principality of Andorra, is one of the objectives of the language legislation adopted in 2024.

However, applying these requirements to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube raises the question of how to distinguish strictly commercial messages from publications that may serve artistic, personal or entertainment purposes.

In the case of the Crepero de la Rotonda, the businessman insists that he does not challenge the obligation to use Catalan when serving customers, but rather defends his right to continue performing in Spanish the comedic character that has made him popular on social media.

The controversy therefore centres on the legal classification of his videos and the scope of the linguistic obligations that the authorities consider applicable to his publications.

The owner now hopes that the Andorran authorities will reconsider the fine and accept the arguments submitted in his appeal.

Meanwhile, the case has opened a broader debate about the relationship between language legislation, commercial activity and digital content creation in Andorra, particularly when the boundary between entertainment and advertising is not clearly defined.