Les Corts have agreed to eliminate the Guillem Agulló Award thanks to the majority of PP and Vox and at the proposal of the latter group, alleging that the name of the recognition was a “unilateral decision” by the former president of the Valencian parliament Enric Morera.
For its part, the opposition has shown its “indignation” at this decision and has regretted that it coincides with the group attack on an anti-fascist center in Castellón.
In the last seven years, based on an institutional declaration signed unanimously in 2016, the Guillem Agulló Award has been awarded every April 25, Les Corts Day, to people and entities that fight against hate crimes, in memory of the young anti-fascist murdered in 1993 by a group of neo-Nazis.
In a press conference after the meeting of ombudsmen, Vox explained that it presented a letter to the Les Corts Board so that the award was not “conditional” on the name of Guillem Agulló.
An argument that has been supported by the PP, which has guaranteed that it would support a similar institutional declaration again if it were “generic” in memory of all the victims of hate crimes.
As Ombudsman of Vox, José María Llanos has assured that the naming of the Award was a “unilateral decision” by the former president of Les Corts Enric Morera (Compromís), which is why he believes that “new unanimity” would have to be reached to promote a similar award that does not bear the name of a single person.
Miguel Barrachina (PP) has maintained that the 2016 institutional declaration lost its “validity” and the name of the award was a “personal decision” by Morera, when in his opinion the recognition could be named each year with the name of a victim.
To do this, he has opened himself to reaching an agreement with the rest of the groups, although he does not know if it will be “viable” with Compromís.
Among the opposition, the socialist ombudsman, José Muñoz, has been “outraged” by the elimination of the Premi, as he recalled that the 2016 declaration specifically referred to Guillem Agulló.
“Carlos Mazón allows the extreme right to inoculate his virus in the Valencian Community,” he denounced.
Joan Baldoví (Compromís) has accused PP and Vox of “taking away” the Premi when in recent years it has been delivered “with total normality”: “The PP once again kneels to Vox's demands.”
Furthermore, the opposition ombudsmen have regretted that it coincides with the recent group attack on an anti-fascist club last Saturday in Castellón, during the La Magdalena festivities.
The National Police is investigating the events to arrest the alleged perpetrators, while the victim, a 32-year-old man, remains admitted to the ICU with a reserved prognosis.
“It reminds us of the 80s, when we thought things were already over,” said Muñoz, noting that the Security Councilor of Castelló, Antonio Ortolá (Vox), “took photos with a neo-Nazi group associated with a football club.” ”.
Baldoví, along the same lines, has demanded “justice and arrests” after this attack and has warned that “the extreme right cannot go around charging against people who think differently.”
For his part, the PP ombudsman has shown his group's condemnation of the aggression and has hoped that "all those who attacked innocent citizens for hate and ideological reasons will be arrested."
“We condemn all hate crimes, whether they occur from one extreme or another,” he stressed.
And the Vox ombudsman has expressed his party's condemnation of “all acts of violence, including those in Castellón” and has criticized the connection that is being made of the attack with the formation he represents: “The connection that is made of those attacks with Vox is nothing more than the result of the continuous criminalization of Vox.
We have nothing to do with it, we are not the ones who throw stones at others like others do at us.”