Isabel Díaz Ayuso's government campaign to veto symbols and support activities to Palestine in schools and institutes, while rejecting a genocide about the population of Gaza, has found an answer in several municipalities of the Community of Madrid.
The Mayor's Office of Casarrubuelos, a town south of the community and close to Parla, hung last Tuesday a Palestinian flag in the City Council building, governed by more Madrid. This gesture, in solidarity with the dramatic situation that is taking place in Gaza for the massacre of the Palestinian people, raised a Reaction in the Municipal Group of the PPthat not only presented a requirement to the City Council to withdraw it, but denounced the training before the Civil Guard because, they explain, “the City Council of Casarrubuelos is using a public good for private use such as support for a foreign entity.”
Without referring to Palestine as a sovereign state at any time, the PP defended the “neutrality” of the balcony of this institutional building. The mayor of the municipality, Vicente José Astillero Ballesteros, refuses to remove the flag despite the possibility of having to face a prison sentence between six months and three years.
Alcorcón and Rivas oppose the directives of Ayuso
“Mrs. Ayuso does not want schools to do any activity by Palestine. Because she has to take into account that no matter how president, the culture of peace, mediation in values and human rights are above any prohibition of their counseling.” Thus the mayor of Alcorcón, Candelaria Testa (PSOE) last Thursday in a statement aimed at the media on the occasion of the announcement of an initiative that will seek to “promote and promote awareness and support campaigns to the Palestinian people who visible the necessary respect for human rights and peace, in public schools that adhere to different actions” were
Thus, the City of Alcorcón, governed by the socialists in coalition with the most Madrid group, opposes the directives of the Ministry of Education, which has prohibited reading the names of children killed by “data protection” and claim that the restriction is justified by considering “activities that could be related to any political issue” in the classroom. On Friday, October 3, stoppages and a mobilization day of the Madrid educational community are summoned for the right to educate in human rights.
The municipality also provides that centers can develop training actions that connect local students with Salfit students in the West Bank. “What we are going to promote and raise both the managerial teams and the AMPAS is to make letters of the children of Alcorcón to Palestine and that they feel the love we are moving as a society to all the civilians who are suffering,” explains the mayor, who underlines the importance of “raising the voice against this genocide that is taking place in the eyes of all.”
On May 28, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the recognition of the Palestinian State by Spain, the municipal plenary approved the twinning of the Madrid city with Salfit, one of the regions terribly hit by Israeli attacks. The measure managed to get ahead, yes, with the votes against the municipal groups of the PP and Vox. Now, Testa says in conversation with this newspaper that they are already “processing the visas” to bring the mayor of Salfit to Alcorcón and sign that twinning.
Rivas encourages to fill the schools of Palestinian flags
In Rivas Vaciamadrid, the United Left – which governs with the PSOE – ignores the directives of the Ministry of Education and encourages students and the desires to “Fill the educational centers of Palestinian flags.”
In a statement, the municipal group denounces the prohibitions of the Ayuso government and considers “inhuman” to try to “silence the signs of solidarity towards the suffering of the Palestinian people.” In addition, he has a “hypocritical” to the Ayuso government “to urge educational centers to show their solidarity with Ukraine while now tries to censor solidarity samples with Palestine.”
The mayor of Rivas, Aída Castillejo, reminded the regional government that schools are of municipal ownership and that the Community of Madrid only regulates the curricular part and, therefore, is beyond its legitimacy to decide on these activities: “It is evident that Ayuso and the regional government only seek to impose and cut the freedom of the educational centers to educate in human values and rights,” he says in a public note last Thursday.
In addition, to protect students and teachers who decide to adhere to the defense of human rights, the IU group will be available “to denounce and attend in cases where it is intended to sanction or intimidate teachers, families or students for showing solidarity motifs with Palestine.”
More Madrid and PSOE are unmarked from a complaint against Montero and Belarra
In it Cercedilla City Council The Más Madrid and PSOE municipal groups have had to uncheck the decision of the municipal government – of which they are part, but that heads together for Cercedilla – when announcing last Tuesday in a statement that the town hall will take legal measures for the “irresponsible acts” of “members of a national political party” in the passage of the Cycling Tour to Spain through the town. Specifically, Ione Belarra and Irene Montero, general secretary and Eurodiputa of Podemos, respectively.
Sources from Más Madrid say that it is a “unilateral initiative of the mayor”, David José Martín (Together for Cercedilla) and add that “at no time was he agreed.” “Obviously, we do not agree and we are demanding that the mayor backwards immediately,” they explained to Europa Press in a conversation in which they have claimed that “all people have the right to demonstrate” and that “the protests against the presence of Israel were peaceful and massive.” For their part, Fuentes of the PSOE of Madrid have also explained that the statement does not represent the position of the party, at the local or regional level.