The far right tried to boycott Gustavo Pedro’s visit to Spain Vox representatives were absent from Congress during the President of Colombia’s address

From Madrid

Spanish far right This Thursday he revealed his close relationship with the political organizations of his ideological sector on the other side of the Atlantic. Colombian President Gustavo Pedro. Vox, in whose foundation the ultra-Catholic Mexican sect El Yunque played an active role.It has been trying for some time to organize and lead a reactionary international in the Spanish-speaking sphere, and took advantage of Pedro’s arrival on a state visit to Spain to stage that leadership.

He Spanish government Presented to the visit of the Colombian President Very importantIncluding an honorary reception by King Felipe VI, the imposition of the Order of Isabel la Católica – the highest distinction awarded by Spain – and a Intervention in Congress In a joint protocol session of senators and representatives.

Anti-Colonial Petro

Ahead of his trip, Pedro made a public intervention on May 1, which was an attempt by Spain’s far-right to sabotage the state visit. In a speech, the Colombian president referred to the patriots who fought for his country’s independence, saying, “It is not really understood whether this includes liberating us from the yoke of the Spanish crown, removing kings, nobles and princes, ending segregated privileges. The black man, his family, his love affairs, his children.” , the rights of certain species to put an end to the productive slave-owning regime that condemns their grandchildren to be forever enslaved.” A good part of Spanish society does not accept the critical interpretation of the period of viceroyalties in Latin America., so Vox used that intervention to try to create a hostile environment for the Colombian president. “There has never been any yoke, but a beautiful brotherhood, a shared culture, faith and worldview. The only yoke dictators like Pedro have imposed on their people is in Colombia,” Vox president Santiago Abascal wrote on his Twitter account.

Madrid Charter

However, the far-right organization had been organizing to boycott the visit for some time, rallying its affiliates in Latin America. This week he published a letter from the so-called Madrid Forum, addressed to the president of the Congress, Socialist Meritchel Bate, in which 157 parliamentarians from both sides of the ocean launched a diatribe against the Colombian president. In it they stirred up the far-right’s favorite demons. They accused him of “dedicating himself to promoting the legalization of drugs, undermining the legitimacy of the armed forces and police, punishing terrorist groups and destroying the economy”. Among the signatories were Argentina, in addition to 52 Vox representatives Javier Miley and two members of parliament from his La Libertad Avanza party and Cremos (Bolivia), the Republican Party (Chile), the Democratic Center (Colombia) and ARENA (El Salvador). The boycott included a call by the Vox-promoted foundation DiCenzo for a protest rally at the gates of Congress, attended by only fifty people.

The culmination of the boycott came when the president of Congress, Meritchel Batted, invited the Colombian president to address a gathering of representatives and senators, an honor reserved only for a distinguished audience. Meanwhile, 52 representatives of Vox (third Spanish political force behind PSOE and Popular Party) They left the room. Other members of the congregation, including the PP group, stood up and applauded the visitor. A few hours earlier, Elias Bentoto, number three in the center-right formation, distanced himself from the boycott by recalling the Colombian president’s democratic legitimacy. “Mr. Pedro is a head of state who won the election,” he settled.

In his speech, The Colombian president supported Latin America’s alliance with Spain to achieve concrete principles against to the climate crisis. He affirmed that his message not only commemorates the past and the symbols of history that many of us have, but also tries to address the needs of the present, especially the climate crisis.

previously, Showed Spanish support for the peace process in Colombia. “Our country’s commitment remains steadfast and unequivocal, and we will continue to provide all necessary cooperation for the implementation of the 2016 agreement and the proper development of the ongoing negotiations,” he said.

At night, Pedro was welcomed to a banquet by King Philip VI, at which he announced that he would not wear the tailcoat established by protocol because it was “associated with the nobility, anti-democratic”. , he promised in an interview with Colombian station W Radio, in which he revealed that he was not comfortable with a tie or a tailcoat. “I’ve never worn a tailcoat,” he said.