The members of the associations, parties and youth movements that are part of the Youth Council of the Community of Madrid (CJCM) have gathered this Thursday in front of the Madrid Assembly to protest against the intention of the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso to close the entity. Parliament will debate this Thursday the proposal registered by the Popular Parliamentary Group, which has been rejected by opposition groups. In this sense, several political representatives of the Madrid Assembly attended the event, such as Juan Lobato, leader of the PSOE of Madrid, and Manuela Bergerot, leader of Más Madrid. Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Children of the Government of Spain, also attended the rally.
The council, which Esperanza Aguirre already closed in 2010 and which was restored in 2017, is a space for participation articulated by more than 40 social, student, religious entities and youth sections of political parties and unions that represent Madrid’s youth. The majority of the member entities, with the exception of a few such as the New Generations of the PP of Madrid, have attended the event to send messages such as “the council resists, the youth persists” or “without independence, there is no democracy.”
The Popular Party has justified the suppression of the Youth Council with arguments of “rationalizing spending and improving administrative efficiency.” However, the text of the parliamentary initiative does not propose an improvement or modification of the council, but rather its complete elimination. The president of the CJCM, Pablo de la Hoz, explained that last Monday, after learning about the popular initiative from another parliamentary group, they held a meeting with the deputy councilor Pablo Gómez in which the Ayuso Government presented its proposal: close the council to create a new collegiate body that would leave out unions, political parties and youth associations.
The Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, attended the rally to show her support for the CJCM. Rego has expressed his frontal opposition to the Madrid PP initiative and has denounced Ayuso’s policies against youth spaces: “The Community of Madrid narrows the freedoms and rights of young people.” The minister explained to elDiario.es that the Government of Spain is going to provide support to young people and has insisted that they are “very concerned” about the “constant attacks” that the regional Executive’s policies on youth matters entail.
Some representatives of youth entities from outside the Community of Madrid also wanted to show their support for the council by attending the rally. In this sense, the president of the Youth Council of Spain, Ana González, has explained that the closure of the organization “directly attacks” the rights of all young people and that it is the “only legitimate youth participation body” in the community. Furthermore, he added that they understand the function of a consultative body like the one proposed by the Ayuso Government but explained that it can never replace the function of a youth council because they have “completely differentiated” functions.
The alternative presented by the PP involves replacing the council with a new body that lacks its own legal personality and is framed within the structure of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Social Affairs, a space that would not allow the participation of even political parties. nor unions. According to the popular ones, this new organization would be created within a year and would function as an advisory space. Beatriz Borrás, deputy of Más Madrid, has denounced that the intention to close the CJCM to replace it with a new organization dependent on the Government is a sign of the “totalitarian drift” that the Executive is taking: “This is the true freedom of the PP, “When there are dissident voices they directly silence them.”
The Youth Council of the Community of Madrid has read a statement at the rally in which it has taken the opportunity to remember that supporting the council is not only allowing it to exist but also that “all the essential means must be provided to carry out public functions.” entrusted.” At the end of the event, the president of the CJCM insisted that the mobilization will continue in the coming days although the ministry has told them that the closure is “imminent.”
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