José María Aznar and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez have returned, politically, to Castilla y León. The former president of the Government and reservist totem of the right and the belligerent journalist and guru of the “hard PP” promoted in 1987, when one governed and the other advised him, a policy of underrepresentation of the historic autonomous celebration in Villalar de los Comuneros (Valladolid ). That festival, which is that of Castilla y León and is celebrated in Villalar, is included in the Statute, signed in 1983, and is celebrated every April 23 in memory of the failed anti-imperial revolution of Padilla, Bravo and Maldonado in 1521. And Now, the current tandem of PP and Vox in the territory has recovered that failed effort to deflate the concentration in Villalar, usually of a leftist nature, and has promoted festive events in the nine provinces, something that has been interpreted in the opposition and in the Castilianism as an attempt to subtract social identity, scattering the festivities and distributing the budget. The idea has offended in León, where a separatist current contrary to the autonomous framework abounds, with the León supporters calling it “provocation and indoctrination” and promising “a big whistle.”
The Board presented the project a few weeks ago to “make participation in the events on the occasion of the Castilian and Leonese festival more accessible, without prejudice to Villalar de los Comuneros being able to continue hosting the activities that the organizers deem appropriate.” An idea that was already defended by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez himself, spokesperson for the Board in 1987, who then positioned himself like this: “Villalar has until now been a meeting place for marginal groups without representation, who have carried out a political act to benefit their interests. . The idea of the Board is to remove all political content from that day, since the rest of the year is the time to do politics, and not the day the autonomous community's holiday is celebrated. […]”. In addition, he also defended moving her around the provinces and “for her to feel throughout the community.”
The mayor of Villalar (480 inhabitants), Luis Alonso, now expresses himself “overwhelmed” on the phone. The mayor, from an independent party, expects an influx similar to that of 2023, with about 25,000 attendees. All without the funding of other years, when the Board allocated more funds to the meeting in the field, an esplanade where all the events are held. This time they have budgeted the 575,000 euros, but not only for Villalar, but to distribute among all the places where there will be events: the eight provincial capitals, except Valladolid, Villalar itself (which receives the Valladolid allocation), Ponferrada (León), Aranda de Duero and Miranda de Ebro (Burgos). The plan: popular races, flag raising and reading of parts of the Statute, gastronomic fairs, folk dances and music by local groups.
The City Council receives meager amounts to organize logistics and security on the part of the Castilla y León Foundation, formerly called Fundación Villalar and also a victim of this trend. The unions and the PSOE have announced their departure from the board due to the drift of the public institution. “Before it has even begun, the Board's plan has already failed. In León they are very against it, Aranda is going to charter two buses to Villalar, the mayor of Zamora has protested… I have not seen any mayor in favor. People have Villalar Day in Castilla y León in their heads, both those who go and those who don't,” understands Alonso, who alludes to the criticism of Francisco Guarido, Zamorano councilor (Izquierda Unida), because the Board included without permission the Zamorano shield, historically more similar to León, on the celebrations page. “It is the same as Aznar with another message. They have been pursuing the end of identity, and now they are even more concerned with Vox, which wants to blow up all this,” laments the councilor.
Aznar implemented 12 years of “itinerant” party, with events throughout the provinces, while unofficially he followed the crowd in Villalar, until in 2002 Juan Vicente Herrera (PP) became the first regional president to go to the campaign. The vice president of the Board, Juan García-Gallardo (Vox), absent in 2023 and presumably in 2024, called the party a “far-left coven” and “macrobotellón.” Vox, in charge of the Ministry of Employment, removed the holiday to April 24, Monday, in 2023, as the 23rd falls on a Sunday. On the other hand, it made July 25, the day of Saint James the Apostle, patron saint of Spain, a non-working day, but without special ties to the territory. Political scientist from the University of Valladolid Alicia Gil-Torres doubts whether the Board's desire “serves to widen” the celebration “or to divide so that people do not travel to Villalar.” The specialist considers the town as “the benchmark, almost all Castilians have been there once in their life” and she regrets the “political disaffection” around it.
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Disaffection has turned into indignation in León. The PSOE has proposed holding a regional holiday on April 18 for the first democratic Cortes in world history, in 1188. The Union of the Leonese People (UPL) party has strongly charged against the Junta's initiative, accusing it of “indoctrination”, and The mayor of the provincial capital, José Antonio Diez (PSOE), with a usual very Leonese position, has considered the Board's action a “provocation.” Such opposition has been seen in the changes in the program for León: the community's flag will not be raised there nor will the Statute be read, against which there is historical criticism due to the link with Castilla, historically separated. Furthermore, none of the musical bands summoned will be from León, but rather from Zamora and Salamanca, because the native ones have refused. “Uncomfortable” local hoteliers have also declined the offer according to the delegate of the Board in León, Eduardo Diego, who appealed for “absolute respect” against the notices about possible biotests. In El Bierzo (León) the hoteliers have also attacked the system established by the Board.
UPL has called for a counterprogramming because “there is nothing to celebrate in this imposed autonomous community that the people of León do not want.” To do this, they will distribute Leonese flags and whistles to make “a big whistle” on that controversial April 23, a holiday throughout the community, although not so many are celebrating: another Leonese sector has announced the burning of a cardboard castle in front of the delegation of board.
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