Santa Cruz Council Rejects Vox on Gender, Immigration Stance
During a contentious Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council meeting, the Vox party's positions on gender equality and immigration were widely rejected by other political groups and the mayor.
Yesterday, a meeting of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council highlighted major disagreements on key social issues, such as gender equality and immigration. During the debates, the views put forward by the Vox party were widely rejected by other political groups, including Coalición Canaria (CC), the Popular Party (PP), the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), and even the mayor himself.
During the meeting, the far-right Vox party again refused to support plans to fight gender violence and promote women's equality. Vox spokesperson Alejandro Gómez said the suggested measures were just 'slogans' and not 'effective policies'. He argued that violence should be seen as a universal issue, regardless of sex, and that 'collective guilt' or 'male chauvinist violence' shouldn't be connected to equality. The Councillor for Equality, Gladis de León, strongly disagreed. She stressed that inequality is the 'root' of the problem, pointing to the tragic murders of ten women and two children this year as proof.
The council approved a joint proposal from CC, PP, and PSOE for International Women's Day (March 8th), with Vox voting no. Popular Party councillor Carmen Pérez criticized Vox's stance, saying it wasn't based on real data about job inequality and opportunities for women, and called it an outdated view. Socialist councillors Patricia Hernández and Alana Chinea highlighted the need for everyone to commit to educating people and fighting violence against women and children. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez expressed regret over Vox's consistent position in these debates, saying it went against the values he believes are fundamental to the rule of law.
The disagreements also covered a debate about adopting the Cabildo's plan to prevent sexual assaults in nightclubs and bars. Gómez questioned an earlier study on the issue, commissioned by the City Council from the University of La Laguna. He called it a 'waste of public money' because it lacked specific actions. Gladis de León defended the study, calling it an 'investment' for women's protection. She noted that its findings are already being used to guide actions involving businesses in the sector. Patricia Hernández (PSOE) stressed how important the plan is as a tool to protect women from sexual violence.
Another disagreement arose from a Vox proposal against the central government's plan to grant special legal status to over 500,000 immigrants. Alejandro Gómez warned that such a move would create a 'permanent pull factor,' leading to more insecurity and putting a strain on public services. Patricia Hernández (PSOE) and José Alberto Díaz Estebánez (CC) accused Vox of spreading messages that incite 'hatred and fear,' saying they were 'ashamed' of such proposals.
Mayor Bermúdez also criticized Vox's argument, noting that over two-thirds of those affected by the plan are from Latin America and have lived in Spain for years. However, the mayor also added that 'mass regularization' could create a 'pull factor towards illegal immigration.' He urged the government to thoroughly check immigrants' criminal records before granting them nationality. The Popular Party spokesperson, Zaida González, offered to support Vox's proposal if it focused only on rejecting mass regularization, but the Vox spokesperson turned down this offer.