Hundreds of people concentrate in Madrid in favor of the European project in front of the Trumpist and Authoritarian threat | Spain

A few meters from the Madrid street of Preciados, where one of the iconic images of the Spanish transition was taken in 1976, that of a child on his father’s shoulders in a manifestation to demand greater quality in education and protest against the loss of life, another little one, also on his shoulders, also on his shoulders, a flag of the European Union waved this Sunday in the concentration which took place in the Plaza de Callao to defend the EU social democracy project to external threats (Donald Trump and his commercial war; Vladimir Putin and the war of Ukraine) and internal (the rise of the extreme right).

The correspondent of Global Affairs of El País, Andrea Rizzi, has caused the first applause with a speech about the challenges faced by the European Union and the tools that it has to face them: the citizens themselves, 450 million Europeans united in a common project of rights and freedoms, rule of law and well -being, threatened “by tanks, bulls and tariffs”. « Subestimating threats would be a very serious mistake, » said the journalist. “We Europeans suffer a conventional war on the eastern flank. And we do not confuse ourselves: submitting to Ukraine is not the only objective of Putin. We suffer a commercial war from the West. And let’s have it clear, it is the end of an era. And we suffer a cognitive war, freed from outside and from within. Malintemployed agents take advantage of new technologies to subvert our democracies with the disinformation. and paralyze ourselves. Identified the open fronts, Rizzi called citizens not to abandon themselves « in resignation, nihilism, defeatism. » “Let’s not let ourselves be dragged by disappointment and errors of European cooperation. It was the austerity imposed three years ago. It is the inaction before the massacre of Palestinian civilians by Israel in response to a terrorist act. But for many who have been the mistakes made, salvation is not to leave the European project, but to reinforce it. Division, hatred and lies, ”he concluded.

The writer Elvira Lindo, columnist of this newspaper, delved into what are the best methods to deal with internal and external threats that try to oppress European social democracy. « The nihilista manages emotions that inflate the feelings of hatred. We are going to dust off everything that moves us and that makes us better people, » he claimed from the stage. “Faced with the ugliness of cynicism, the beauty of justice; in the face of those who question the sincerity of our values, the defense not complexed with what we believe in; in the face of those who intend to snatch acquired rights, our unanimous decision not to give in. In front of those who point to guilty to justify their authoritarian des And without rest the truth. ”

The journalist of The confidential Juan Fernández Miranda recalled during his speech that Europe is not an abstract entity, but the promoter of 72% of the legislative projects approved by the Congress of Deputies and that condition the day -to -day life of the Spaniards and explained the importance of « maintaining Europe as a moral reference of humanity. » « Today democracy does not defend itself. The threats are great and each of us must commit to explain to those who do not understand it, » he added.

Paula Giménez, from the Equipos Europa Youth Association, proclaimed the « naivety » end and called on citizens not to give the rights of those enjoyed since Democrats of all generations, conservatives and progressive, left or right, join in defense of a project harassed by authoritarian dyes to the east and west.

The act, led by the SER Mara Torres chain journalist, has had the intervention of the general secretary of the European Confederation of Unions, Esther Lynch, who took the stage wrapped by the leaders of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, and CCOO, Unai Sordo. « The unions, » he proclaimed, « reject the extreme right policies of fear, hate and exclusion. They have no place in the future we are building. We are here to demand a better, bolder Europe. »