The fight for self-government inspires Valencian socialists

Valencia"They wanted Valencian self-government on the day of the democratic rupture." This inspiring maxim, recorded in a 1975 police report and recalled by former Valencian minister Vicent Soler, exemplified the infusion of pride and memory felt by the Socialist leaders who attended this Thursday's anniversary celebration of a pivotal episode in the restoration of democracy.

In the midst of the tsunami of the Santos Cerdán case, and with many representatives of the PSPV not hiding their concern about the impact of the imprisonment of their former organizing secretary, the party commemorated the arrest of the so-called Alaquàs 10 on June 24. These are a dozen representatives of different ideological views who sought to promote the Democratic Council of the Valencian Country and were arrested after meeting at a retreat house in this municipality in the Horta Sud region. Their arrest unleashed a wave of solidarity that served as a spur in the fight for the restoration of democracy and the institutions of the Valencian Country.

The tribute was organized by the Ernest Lluch Foundation and chaired by Rosa Lluch, the daughter of the economist, former spokesperson for the PSC in Congress and former Minister of Health and Consumption, assassinated by ETA on November 21, 2000. The event was well attended and the Minister of Science and Technology, Diana Morant, participated in the discussion.

The person in charge of recalling the symbolism of the episode was one of those arrested, Vicent Soler, who emphasized that in 1975, the Valencian Socialists and the other democratic parties were convinced that overcoming the dictatorship in the Valencian Country would not be "complete" if they did not achieve self-government. He also explained that this was not an objective in itself, but rather a tool. "We wanted it to build social justice," he emphasized to applause from an audience packed with deputies and councilors who interrupted the speakers on numerous occasions.

The person responsible for completing the historical journey was Ximo Puig, who recalled that Valencian self-government was hampered by the lack of recognition of the Valencian Country as a historical community in 1983, the year its Statute of Autonomy was approved. "We didn't achieve full self-government because a general staged a coup," she emphasized, referring to the military uprising co-led by former Civil Guard colonel Antonio Tejero.

"Inspired by the optimism" of her father, historian and professor at the University of Barcelona Rosa Lluch preferred to focus on the progress made since 1975, highlighting: "[Among the Alaquàs 10] there was only one woman, accompanied by many women, one woman [the Carlist Laura Pastor]."

The person in charge of closing the event and finally boosting the morale of the Socialist troops was Diana Morant, who made the most references to current events. First, she defended the mastery of Pedro Sánchez, "who was left aside at a NATO summit because he stood up" to Donald Trump. Later, referring to Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, he urged his colleagues to maintain their "pride," despite the fact that there are leaders who "embarrass or betray us." "Raise your heads, defend these acronyms and these leaders, and become role models for the future generation," he shouted, amid applause from leaders who, faced with a turbulent present, have found solace in remembering the past.