Sara Álvarez Rouco, Councilor for Vox in Gijón (Asturias), in her office, in a file picture.VOX GIJÓN (VOX GIJÓN)
The deputy and general secretary of the Foro Asturias, Adrián Pumares, assured this Monday that the announcement made last Saturday by the councilor for celebrations of the City Council of Gijón – Sara Álvarez Rouco of Vox – to veto artists who use Asturian as a language , ” “A wild suggestion, not in accordance with the law”, and he was convinced that it will not be implemented. “Foro remains where it has always been, in its commitment to Asturian culture and language,” said Pumares, after stressing that Carmen Moriyón, who, with the support of the two Vox mayors, will become mayor of Gijón ( by Foro) demonstrated this in his two previous terms of office, between 211 and 2019.
“Those of us who are public officials, those of us who hold different institutional and governmental positions, before making any statements, we must comply with the law,” the secretary-general of the Foro Asturias told journalists in the corridors of the Asturian Parliament was constituted this Monday and the legislative period has begun. The mayor’s advisory team later delivered a brief statement: “We want to send a sign of calm and guarantee strict compliance with the law, which does not provide for discrimination based on the form of expression.” Asturian is not an official language, although an autonomous law prohibits its use, guarantees its protection and promotion.
The controversy arose when the new Festejos councilwoman, Sara Álvarez Rouco, announced in a radio interview on Onda Cero last weekend that one of her main goals would be to eliminate “any left-wing ideological bias in festive events” in Gijón. the most populous city in Asturias (270,000 inhabitants). As an example, the mayor of Vox explained that from now on, shows will no longer be programmed in Gijón by artists who use the Asturian language in their performances. Álvarez also announced that the Asturian place name Xixón would no longer be used in his department. “We have a very rich Spanish language. And if it’s Gijón, then it’s Gijón,” he said. Article 15 of Law 1/1998 on the Use and Promotion of the Asturian Language establishes: “The place names of the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias bear the official name in its traditional form.” When a place name in its traditional form and in Spanish is widely used , the name can be bilingual.
Álvarez Rouco’s ads drew criticism on social media. In a message written in Asturian, the Asturian artist Rodrigo Cuevas argued that “we must always use Asturian”. “You’ll drink a cup and a half,” he added. Even whistler master Xuacu Amieva does not understand an announcement that initially, as he puts it, seemed “like a joke”. “I have dedicated my whole life to recovering a part of the Asturian culture, such as the Lingua, one of the Pegoyos [pilares] every culture,” he said.
Also the president of the principality, the socialist Adrián Barbón has expressed his outrage: “You are involution. And a threat to coexistence. What are left ideological prejudices at festive events? And the threat to artists using Asturian is unacceptable. Out of shame. Fortunately, the PP in Asturias listened to us and excluded them from the General Assembly Board,” he explained.
Adrián Pumares himself, who had already expressed his uneasiness about the agreement reached in Gijón between his party and Vox, was harassed by the Ultra party for his defense of the Asturian language: in 2021, Vox even went so far as to put up billboards with his Placing the MP’s face on several streets in Asturias, with a red X in front of Pumares’ mouth and the motto: “The progressives want to impose a language on a million Asturians that is not theirs.”
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Added to this refusal is the Minister of Culture, Berta Piñán, who in statements to EL PAÍS reiterates: “I think before anyone vetoes the free use of the Asturian language, they should refer to Law 1/1998 on Use and Promotion remember.” The Asturian language expressly guarantees “the free use and non-discrimination of citizens for this reason”.
Regarding the Vox City Council’s announcement that the place name Xixón will disappear, the City Council concludes: “We do not know what Ms. Álvarez Rouco intends to do in the case of cities whose official name has a unique formula and is approved in Asturian is.” in the case of Llinares, Les Lloses, Carceo, Les Mestes, Viesques, Xove del Medio, The only formula that conforms to the law is the Asturian one. Unfortunately, it is not surprising that Vox behaves this way and advocates a step backwards in the rights of Asturian citizens.
Socialist Juan Cofiño, new President of the Asturian Parliament
On the other hand, the socialist Juan Manuel Cofiño, vice-president of the Asturian government until last Friday, was elected the new President of the General Council of the Principality this Monday by an absolute majority (23 of the 45 seats) in the plenary session constituting the Autonomous Chamber. Cofiño won 19 votes from the Socialist Group and three from the Izquierda Unida, as well as that of the only MP from Foro Asturias, while Podemos MP Covadonga Tomé opted for one abstention.
The deputies from PP and Vox voted empty. The PSOE also holds the first vice-presidency of the chamber; The PP will hold the second vice-presidential post and a secretariat, the IU the other secretariat after the Socialists transfer the post to her.
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