Only a matter of days have passed since the mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, showed his promised support for the LGBTIQA+ residents of Torrevieja, although not supported by the appearance of the rest of the government team, but once the cameras are down, it appears that the historic rejection of the gay community by the PP in Torrevieja comes back to light, as Dolón is nowhere to be seen when the community needed his support, as the organisers were forced to cancel an important event in fear of Vox, the new political partners of the PP, who have firmly set in their sights the regression of gay rights.
On Sunday afternoon, the Torrevieja Diversa group, within the activities of Torrevieja Pride week 2023, had scheduled an information stand on Paseo Juan Aparicio.
That event was cancelled out of fear of attacks from Vox members, resulting in Diversa issuing a statement explaining their decision.
“This week we learned that the far-right party was going to hold a meeting just 400m from our location. It is well known that this party constantly launches hateful messages about the collective, wants to make us disappear (throwing us into the trash) and justifies attacks and the curtailment of our rights. In short: it does not respect human rights”.
“Out of responsibility and for the safety of our partners, who have transferred their concerns in recent days. real and founded, we have decided to SUSPEND THE INFORMATION STAND scheduled for today”.
“When we scheduled the activity, we did not request intervention from the security forces, because then we did not see it as necessary, and now we have no evidence that there will be agents posted there”.
“This decision IS NOT A STEP BACK OR AN ASSIGNMENT BEFORE ANYONE, but our safety is the most important thing. We fight so we can LIVE OUR LIVES FREE, and if we came this afternoon at the stand we would be endangering what we are trying to defend. Tomorrow we will resume activities with more strength and energy if possible. The fighting continues. They won’t stop us, they won’t shut us up, and they won’t put us back in the closet”.
At this stage, it is not known if the Vox manifestation was an officially recognised event, and therefore approved by the town hall.
Either way, the silence from Dolón is deafening, and as actions speak louder than words, the only conclusion that might be drawn is that the Pride Day photographs were nothing more than gesture politics, and Torrevieja will be the latest town to be added to those where the PP are facilitating regressive policies lead by Vox. Dolón has not spoken out in rejection of Vox.
Today it is the gays, next in their sights is women (“male violence does not exist”), then foreigners (“Spain for the Spanish”). Their policies are deep and dark, but it must be remembered that it is the PP who are facilitating this.
