Spanish far-right party Vox held a rally in Madrid on Sunday ahead of European elections, praising the support of international allies including Argentine President Javier Milei, the prime ministers of Italy and Hungary and right-wing leaders in France. and Portugal.
Almost 11 thousand supporters – according to Vox – filled an old bullring waving hundreds of Spanish flags, as well as some from Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela and Israel.
They applauded speakers ranging from French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen to Chega de Portugal leader André Ventura, and mocked every mention of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the United Nations 2030 Agenda, feminism or socialism. .
Milei received a standing ovation with a speech in which he criticized “leftists” and defended free market capitalism. He also thanked Vox leader Santiago Abascal for his early friendship, “when I was lonelier than Adam on Mother’s Day.”
The presence of foreign dignitaries led to heightened security, days after the shooting of Robert Fico, from Slovakia.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who appeared via live video conference, was applauded for her speech in Spanish, in which she attacked irregular migration and surrogate pregnancy.
Hungarian Viktor Orban and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki extolled what they called Europe’s Christian values in pre-recorded videos.
Chile’s presidential runner-up, José Antonio Kast, and Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chakli, had a more discreet reception.
But enthusiasm was high for former US President Donald Trump, represented in Madrid by the vice president of the conservative Heritage Foundation and former White House staffers Matt and Mercedes Schlapp.
The event ended with the playing of the Spanish national anthem and insults were hurled at reporters present.
Like its partners in the European Parliament’s ECR group, Vox hopes to ride a populist wave in the June 9 elections to increase its current representation of four MEPs.
A Cluster 17 poll released on Friday showed that Vox won 8.8% of the vote and six seats.
Vox’s best performance in general elections came in 2019, when it won 52 seats in the 350-seat Lower House, boosted by Catalonia’s failed bid for independence. Since then, its support has declined, but it remains the third largest party in parliament, with 33 seats.
Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Giles Elgood, via Reuters.
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/05/19/vox-de-extrema-direita-da-espanha-realiza-manifestacao-em-massa-com-milei-e-aliados-estrangeiros/
