Kerry Kennedy (Washington, 1959) shows signs of fatigue. Since he arrived in Bilbao this week, with objective of establishing relations between the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation Spain —chaired by María Díaz de la Cebosa, who accompanies her on the trip—and the regional institutions, her agenda has been full of meetings. From the city mayor’s office, headed by the Peneuvista Juan María Aburto, even with representatives of the Vitoria Victims of Terrorism Memorialwho provided him with translated information about his work. Two weeks ago his mother, Ethel Kennedy, died, but he still has enough strength to receive ABC in one of the rooms at the Carlton Hotel, in the center of the capital of Biscay.
—His mother helped his father (Bobby Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy, also assassinated) in the interrogations he conducted as Attorney General against figures of the American mafia. Is there a fight against organized crime today like then?
When my father was fighting the mafia, the FBI was led by John Edgar Hoover. And he didn’t think the mafia was a problem. When I was working on union infiltration, we lived in a remote area outside of Washington where huge trucks drove by, making noise with their wheels, trying to intimidate us. They even threw acid in the face of a journalist, leaving him blind, and they told my mother that they were going to do the same with her children. My mother told us to go out and play in the street, so they could see that we weren’t afraid. She took my brothers to those Senate hearings.
Today organized crime is enormous. 200 million children in the world are under slavery, most of them used as merchandise by the mafia. Furthermore, drug trafficking is a huge problem, spreading throughout the world.
—They had to hide during the nuclear missile crisis with Cuba in 1962. Are we close to reaching a similar geopolitical point?
The military told us that we should hide in a safe place, but my father told them what was the point of surviving if the rest of the people died. My mother agreed and they decided not to hide us. Now the situation is not the same. We had missiles pointing at each other. Do you want me to show you a photo? Sorry for taking up your time.
He turns on his cell phone, which he never lets go of, and starts searching the gallery. After a few minutes he shows an image of himself next to a ballistic missile. «It is a missile from the crisis with Cuba! It’s in kyiv, they turned the ships around and now it’s in Ukraine. Isn’t it incredible?
—Will the result of the elections on November 5 change the way the United States approaches its relations with Russia?
Yes, it is very dangerous. Kamala Harris is on the side of Ukraine, NATO and the European Union. Donald Trump has said that Russia can do whatever it wants. JD Vance (Republican vice presidential candidate) has said why should we keep spending money in Ukraine and this is a green light for Putin. For him to consolidate his position in Georgia, for him to advance towards Moldova, Latvia is also on the list, Serbia… I think it is very dangerous for anyone who is on the side of freedom.
—In the elections that your uncle (John F. Kennedy) won in 1960 there were accusations of fraud in Chicago. Could the same thing happen after November 5?
I don’t like that question. Let me tell you what happened in 1960. The Republicans announced a portion of the results in advance and then the total. There was no theft of votes. It’s a myth that never happened. Now, Donald Trump has said that unless he wins, the results will not be legal. That has caused people across the country to question the election. It is very dangerous for democracy.
—Why Bilbao to establish your foundation?
It is a good place to create change in justice and human rights in a peaceful way. Schools have shown interest, like Deusto, in this type of curriculum.
—The Basque Country has a past marked by terrorist violence. How is your student program going to address that?
Wherever we go we don’t say that this is the program. We say, what is important. We say, what do students request? We listen first and then we work.
—I was surprised that (during a dinner held on Thursday at the Carlton Hotel in Bilbao) you mentioned Morocco in a list of authoritarian regimes. The Spanish Government has broken the consensus on Western Sahara without explaining it. What do you think about that?
Because of my experience in Western Sahara, which is an extremely important area for Spain, I think it is important to point out the human rights abuses committed by the Moroccan regime against peaceful people. They just want a peaceful way to educate their children without being threatened.
—Morocco accessed Pedro Sánchez’s phone number and has made a series of concessions to the regime of Mohammed VI since then. What image does the Spanish president project abroad?
I don’t know how to answer that.
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