Controversy in the Community of Madrid over support for Gaza in schools

BarcelonaThe tension between the Spanish government and the People's Party (PP) following the pro-Palestinian protests at the Vuelta a España (Spanish Nationalist Revolution) last Sunday and the pressure measures in Israel announced by Pedro Sánchez has spilled over into the classrooms. In Madrid, the group Marea Palestina (Palestinian Mare) warned this Wednesday that several schools have received an order from the regional government to remove flags or displays of support for Gaza. Isabel Díaz Ayuso asserted that she has not given "any instructions personally," but has called for an end to "indoctrination" in schools. The president of the Community of Madrid, therefore, is in favor of not discussing the conflict in the classroom, although in the case of Ukraine, her government organized a collection of basic supplies in public and private schools.

According to Marea Palestina, some schools have received "an instruction" from the Madrid Ministry of Education to remove all symbols related to Palestine. Sources from the regional ministry deny to Europa Press that any instruction to this effect has been given and assure that when the administration finds out that a center wants to organize an activity that may be related to a political issue, it reminds school and institute directors that the centers must be "absolutely apolitical."

In a press conference after meeting with her cabinet, Ayuso pointed out that "using" educational centers "for political purposes" is reminiscent of "the worst episodes of the 20th century" and accused Pedro Sánchez's executive of carrying out the "kale borrokaHowever, in 2022, his own government launched a campaign to support Ukraine after the Russian invasion, focusing specifically on educational centers. The initiative consisted of collecting food and hygiene and sanitary products from 1,580 centers to send to the attacked country.

In response to the public denunciation by Marea Palestina, which this afternoon called a meeting with the teachers who are members of the association to discuss the issue, Más Madrid has announced that it will take legal action against the Community of Madrid "as soon as this executive order is made official." The party believes that Ayuso acts as an "ambassador of genocide." In this regard, the acting spokesperson for the party in the city council of the Spanish capital asked this morning: "What problem is there with students and families in a democratic society who want to show their solidarity with Gaza?"

This position is shared by the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres. At an event in Madrid, he stated that the defense of the Palestinian people "must be nonpartisan" and "unite everyone." He also urged political parties to "stand alongside the victims."

The PP balances its position on Gaza

So far, despite pressure from the Spanish government to do so, the People's Party (PP) has not commented on whether it believes genocide is taking place in Gaza. Alberto Núñez Feijóo has gotten out of the way to Congress claiming that Sánchez "would even make a pact with Netanyahu to stay in power," and the spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, downplayed the UN resolution yesterday, declaring that Israel is committing genocide, arguing that "three people did it." However, this morning Xavier García Albiol asserted in an interview on RTVE that if a UN body claims to be committing genocide, he won't be the one to deny it.