Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday supported the decision of his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, to exclude the King of Spain, Felipe VI, from her inauguration ceremony on October 1, and asked Madrid to leave “arrogance and arrogance” to apologize for the conquest. Asked during his morning conference about Sheinbaum’s decision, the president stressed that the Spanish monarchy had acted with great arrogance, because They never responded to the “respectful and formal” letter. about his request for an apology from the indigenous peoples of Mexico for the conquest.
“We are talking about differences with the Spanish monarchy who were asked, were respectfully asked to apologize to the indigenous peoples, the indigenous peoples of Mexico for the atrocities committed during the European invasion of our country and there was no response,” said López Obrador. Likewise, he criticized that not only was there no response, but they unleashed a campaign against his government. “And they acted with great arrogance, they never responded to a respectful and formal letter, they sent their spokesmen, even their organic intellectuals, I remember that Mr. (Mario) Vargas Llosa launched himself very strongly, as well as others, in the broadcasts of Spanish radio, on Spanish television, insulting us,” he lamented.
He therefore clearly expressed his support for Sheinbaum’s decision not to invite the Spanish monarchy to his inauguration.I support the elected president. If she already has a position, I subscribe to it, I support it, because I have a lot of confidence in the president-elect,” he assured. However, he reiterated that this has nothing to do with the friendship that we have with the Spanish people, who, he said, “are a hard-working people, a good people, a people who have suffered at different times in history.” Finally, the president insisted on this point. Spain must tell the story in a different wayin addition to putting aside racism, which has even reached Spaniards who have made their fortune in Mexico and then return to retire to their country and, according to López Obrador, are insulted by their own compatriots.
“What do you think they call them in Spain? Indianos. I’m not talking about Mexicans, the poor, no, I’m talking about very rich people who, with effort, I repeat, have worked according to the law here in this country. country have made a fortune,” he said. López Obrador’s reaction comes just hours after the Spanish crown disagreed with Sheinbaum’s emergence. He only invited the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez.to take up his duties on October 1st.
According to Sheinbaum, the refusal to involve Felipe VI in the event occurred because the monarch did not respond to the letter that López Obrador sent him on March 1, 2019, requesting that, in view of the celebration of Mexico’s 200 years of independence, “express in a public and official manner the recognition of the grievances caused” for the conquest. The absence of a representative from Spain at Sheinbaum’s inauguration is a new moment of bilateral tension since López Obrador declared in February 2022 a “pause” in relations due to the abuses he denounces and that Spanish companies have committed in Mexico, particularly in the energy sector.
