Amnesty or freedom
Just a few hours before Congress approved the amnesty law - the Trojan horse to the Magna Carta - the Popular Party brought more than 50,000 people out onto the streets to shout louder and clearer: No to amnesty!
- Clinging to power
- Popular rebellion
- A storm of dignity
- The president of all
- The procession
- A flood of patriots
- Free and Equal
This law, drafted by criminals and sponsored by the national government, has polarised the economic, political and social life of the last nine months, it has stranded the political parties, it has divided society in half and it has placed us on the edge of the abyss of coexistence. This will have consequences. Here and in Brussels. It is already noticeable in the lack of foreign investment.
Clinging to power
The explanation is very simple: the Catalan coup plotters of 2017 in Catalonia, condemned by the Supreme Court, were pardoned by Pedro Sánchez. Their sentences for embezzlement of public funds were reduced. But it was not enough. The general elections of 23July complicated the situation. To stay in power, Don Pedro the generous (with our money) expanded his roster of indispensable friends. Junts took the president's measure and drafted an unconstitutional amnesty law that exonerates all the actors who participated in the secessionist process, including those prosecuted for terrorism. Starting with Don Carles, the one from Waterloo. The price of the investiture and the price of living in Moncloa is being paid in cash session after parliamentary session. Always at night. Mirian Noguertas, the real spokesperson of the Executive, tells us after breakfast.
The latest was to distinguish between good terrorism and bad terrorism in the Justice Committee. The nationalist terrorism of Puigdemont and that of Junqueras, (CDR and Tsunamic Democràtic) with more than 700 policemen injured -three of them extremely seriously, with lifelong consequences-, are logically, fetén terrorism and are covered by this infamous law.
The barricades, the fires, the assault on police vans, the seizure of El Prat airport and the attacks on the Tour of Spain last year did not affect human rights, according to the criminals. Terrorism always threatens life and instils fear, frightens people and provokes anguish; it is individual and collective torture. Death and torture are essential elements of terrorism. In Europe too.
Well, it turns out that Sánchez went to visit the wounded policemen after the street violence of that time, escorted by policemen with weapons of war and now, they accuse and harass judge García Castellón of prevarication for going ahead with these investigations. What has the investigating judge discovered? That the former president on the run and his friend Marta Rovira were behind these terrorist movements. And that, in Europe, breaks the plans for an amnesty without barriers. It is going to be that all of them to the street, no.
Puigdemont demands to Bolaños that the judge be disqualified along with Marchena and four other heroes of the judiciary and the prosecutor's office so that all their sins (their crimes) are pardoned and they can strike with impunity the definitive blow to the Magna Carta: independence.
They got the pardons and now they are going for amnesty. Nothing is ever enough for a Nazi-Nationalist. As they know that the "no is no" man now always says yes, before April he will grant the referendum.
It will be shortly before the start of the debate on the 2024 General Budget. The price is paid by all of us. The Spanish "repressive" state is responsible for the coup that began in 2012. The president will end up signing yes even if he takes the PSOE, García Page, the honest socialists, the Parliamentary Monarchy, the whole Transition and the 1978 Law of Laws with him.
Popular rebellion
The response of the street on this last Sunday of January has been exemplary civic-mindedness. Not a piece of paper on the ground, not a strident word, moderate criticism of the main actors: the Puigdemont-Sánchez duo. To the wall, that was the loudest. It was all right. Even the banners, in double Dina 4, were centrist.
The PP has today brought out thousands of citizens to the great Plaza de España who believe that this Amnesty Law will enshrine privilege and inequality. Amnesty is corruption, a corruption that allows the immunity and oblivion of criminals who sow hatred and lies to collect bulls, royalties, grants and lots of money.
Three thousand popular mayors have signed a manifesto to commit themselves to work for the common good and to defend the Constitution. They will promote plenary sessions in their town halls to speak out against this infamous and unworthy law.
Therefore, this popular rally around the Monument to Don Quixote and Sancho is the first of many others that will be held throughout the country until the general elections are held, as announced by the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida. They are calling for Spaniards to be free and equal. It is a kind of communal rebellion because no one is more than anyone else.
A storm of dignity
With the support of all the presidents of the Autonomous Regions governed by the PP -except for the president of Cantabria and the Galician president in the election campaign-, the leader of the first opposition party took the stage in the Plaza de España, with the atmosphere warmed by the leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
It was a full-fledged rally with a well-designed speech so that every two or three minutes the devoted audience applauded and chanted "president, president!
Alberto Núñez Feijóo relied on a noble word, almost in disuse: thank you. Thank you for being there, thank you for supporting us, thank you for encouraging us to move forward, thank you for being part of our party, thank you for voting for us and thank you for defending Spain".
In 20 minutes, he unravelled a string of strong ideas, coherent with his political trajectory. No stridency. Polite people. I would say from the extreme centre.
We summarised his reformist centre messages in headlines. Let's start at the end: "We have the right to decide; to decide between amnesty and freedom, and we choose freedom; between amnesty and democracy, democracy; between amnesty and Europe, Europe; and between amnesty and Spain, we choose Spain". (Applause from the audience).
On this day of protest against the amnesty that violates the Penal Code and annexes the Judiciary, Feijóo promised "the democratic rescue of our country from an ineffective government and to restore equality for all". In this context, he continued: "the word is there to be kept, crimes will be punished, citizens will be respected and the government will belong to everyone and for everyone".
Flanked by former presidents Aznar and Rajoy, Feijóo continued: "This government has as much time as the separatists give it, but no matter how late it is, we will be standing here; I assure you that this country will not surrender or break up".
He then made two appeals: to the elderly he reminded them to continue fighting for their democracy. "Do not allow your work to be broken," he said. And to young people he said that his party is at the service of all of them so that "equal opportunities are not lost".
Those gathered shouted and interrupted his complaint and his denunciation with the Chilean slogan of 73: "The people, united, will never be defeated".
Feijóo, president, Sànchez, no!" the crowd shouted in chorus.
Feijóo repeatedly accused the government of lying permanently and of "having unleashed a storm of indignity that will take its toll on the government, on the streets and at the ballot box".
The president of all
Of all the people of Madrid, naturally. This is how Isabel Díaz Ayuso was presented to the people. She knows how to tell her audience what they want to hear. The people love her. This is demonstrated by the fact that they applaud her as soon as she pauses for breath.
Her talismanic word is freedom. Free and equal. Everything revolves around this word: "The triumph of freedom always breaks through". She defended the courage of Judge García-Castellón "for complying with the law despite being persecuted". She asked for a round of applause for the FSE and spoke without complexes and without fear of defending the Spanish flag; because of her conviction she feels proud to defend freedom from Madrid. All united in saying "No to amnesty". Lots of applause. Her Viva España! was answered by an admirer's Viva Ayuso!
The procession
In the security corridor to access the speakers' tribune, the Popular supporters were able to see the warmth of the people. The first to return to the security exit was the Andalusian Juan Moreno Bonilla. Selfies are the order of the day. They look like Hollywood stars. Then, the Castilian and Leonese Alfonso F. Mañueco. Rajoy looked like he had won a mountain stage of the Tour de France. The Aznar family (José María and Ana Botella) distant.
The ANF president proved that the ladies are his most loyal supporters. The mayor shook hands left and right and Isabel Díaz Ayuso corroborated that she is the most traditional queen of Madrid; she feels loved, she knows it and she lets herself be loved even more.
A drone projected on the huge screen behind Don Quixote, Rocinante, Sancho, and the coat of arms of the Trinitarian Order, images of the crowds that came to reprove the worst president of democracy.
The act had closed with the National Anthem. We have written the History of the Ingenious Hidalgo but we have not been able to replace José María Pemán's lyrics. A sunny spring afternoon. A trickle of water runs down the Manzanares at its junction with the A6. The drought is here.
A flood of patriots
A human flood of patriotic people responded to the call of the Partido Popular. In the newly renovated Plaza de todas las Españas, we found old companions from trips to Barcelona in the mythical October 2017. It is always good to see anti-Francoists and socialists of all times (until ZP) embracing the constitutional path. I embraced editor José María de la Torre in front of the Hotel Riu.
The citizens I asked all agreed that they were there "for Spain". That's a good reason.
Not to be missed was my fellow Trinidadian and yet friend Santiago Sánchez, who devotes his best energies to fighting to raise awareness of prostate cancer. At this civic event he met the illustrious Leonese innkeeper "el Tío Aquilino". He confesses that "he is very concerned about the political situation and his favourite politicians are Ayuso and Cayetana; he is hurt by the disunity between PP-VOX and believes that Sánchez is a ruler without principles or feeling; he attended the demonstration because the amnesty seems to him to be an attack on the unity of Spain".
Free and Equal
On Tuesday, the first cycle of the most unconstitutional law approved in democracy by a government that depends on a fugitive coup leader, a convicted and confessed ETA member, Basque and Catalan separatists who are enemies of Spain, and a president, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, who has broken equality between citizens under the pretext of coexistence, will have come to an end. A destructive majority. After the entry into force of this law, it will take some time for Spaniards to be free and equal citizens. I write this so as not to forget it.
The 50,000 people said loud and clear in the heart of Madrid. "IN MY NAME, NO TO AMNESTY". We have just discovered that there are terrorists who do not violate human rights. But we already know that impunity and corruption lead directly to violence. We will break down the Sanchista wall by building bridges with more freedom, more equality, more democracy, more Europe, more Constitution and more Spain.
Antonio REGALADO directs BAHÍA DE ÍTACA at: aregaladorodriguex.blogspot.com