The Valencia City Council, governed by PP and Vox, recognizes the far-right deputy found guilty of mistreatment in a story contest on equality. Carlos Flores Juberías, found guilty of psychological violence against his ex-wife in 2002, was a finalist in the Beatriu Civera contest organized by the Ministry of Equality and which rewards works that fight against gender stereotypes. The finalists will see their stories printed in a collective book under the protection of the City Council, after an awards ceremony that will take place on October 1.
The award recognizes texts that highlight values such as the empowerment of women and overcoming gender stereotypes, a function that was called into question after Compromís denounced this Thursday that the man convicted of sexist violence was one of the finalists. The question that remains unanswered is: how is it possible that a person definitively convicted of sexist violence and who insulted his ex-wife by calling her a “whore, child kidnapper” was able to participate in the competition and even be among the five finalists. in your category?
First of all, the bases do not establish any type of filter in this sense. It only establishes that “any adult natural person residing in any of the municipalities of the Valencian Community, who is not subject to any of the causes of prohibition to obtain the status of beneficiary of art. 13 of the LGS and the second additional provision of the OGS” and adds that “those who have already been awarded in previous editions will not be able to participate and each participant will only be able to submit one story to the contest.” The purpose of the contest is, according to the call, “the writing of a short, original and unpublished story that has not won a prize in previous contests, with content that deals with overcoming stereotypes attributed to women and their empowerment, the visibility of female figures that can serve as references, the presence of women in masculinized environments and the obstacles they must overcome in their life path. There doesn’t seem to be any filter on the winners, other than being citizens entitled to government subsidies.
On the other hand, the writings are anonymous, so the jury did not know the identity of the participants until the winning works were revealed. In this edition, the jury, which ruled in June, was made up of Marina Mayor, Tania Ruiz, Francisco Pecino and José Miguel Vigar, under the presidency of the councilor for equality of the Valencian capital, Rocío Gil, of the PP.
However, it was only on Thursday that it was made public that one of the finalists was Flores Juberías, according to the advances. Radio Valencia Cadena SER and elDiario.es confirmed it. A situation that has sparked outrage among opposition parties. As reported by the municipal spokesman for Compromís, Papi Robles, the story is included in the book published by the Department of Equality, a publication that includes the winning stories as well as those of the finalists, 5 in each of the two categories – minors. 30 years and over 30-.
Robles said that “it is very serious that María José Catalá publishes, in a story contest on equality, a text by a famous Vox MP found guilty of mistreating his wife. It is the maximum shame to which Valencians could be subjected. The insensitivity, cynicism and contempt that Catalá repeatedly shows in a subject as serious as gender equality are intolerable and constitute a real scandal.”
Compromís has demanded that Catalá stop publishing this book published on the day of the awards ceremony. Robles demands that they do not use public money to whitewash an aggressor: “It is a mocking operation aimed at discrediting these awards that promote values such as feminism and overcoming gender stereotypes.” The Valencians have requested access to the awards databases, the jury minutes and the municipal file to know the details that led Catalá to reward the deputy Vox, the ultra party with which he governs in the City Hall.
The spokesperson for the Municipal Socialist Group, Borja Sanjuan, asked the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, not to publish the book by the man convicted of sexist violence and Vox MP, Carlos Flores Juberías: “It is yet another mockery and provocation that María José Catalá authorises the extreme right against women and, in particular, against victims of sexist violence”, she denounced and stressed that a mayor “allows the Equality Awards to reward not only an aggressor, but also “A person who denies sexist violence and who also dedicates his daily political life to fighting against women’s rights makes him unworthy of the position he holds.”
Sanjuan also regretted that “the councilor for equality knows the result of the deliberation as president of the jury and has said absolutely nothing.” “We hope that Catalá and Gil will publicly apologize for tolerating these mockeries towards the victims of gender violence and for the cowardice they have in the face of these ultras that they allow to mark the history and events of this city against women.”
Municipal sources from the PP government team and Vox insisted that in accordance with the established bases, the jury is composed of four members, respecting criteria of parity and diversity among which were researchers, journalists, linguists and writers.
They also recalled that all the works were presented under a pseudonym and that, therefore, the jury did not know the identity of the authors. As provided for in the regulations since 2017 and the competition, the quality of the works is evaluated anonymously. However, they assured that “all scenarios regarding the publication of the text will be studied legally, taking into account the bases summoned by the previous government team.”
