José María Aznar mocked the request for forgiveness for the crimes of the Pope’s Conquest and Andrés Manuel López Obrador | “And you, what’s your name?”

From Madrid

The former president of the Spanish government José María Aznar (1996-2004) mocked the name of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the public forgiveness that Pope Francis has expressed for the excesses and violence against the indigenous peoples of America during the Conquest. Aznar participated in the Congress of the Popular Party (PP) and among the issues he addressed was a disqualification of the Mexican president: “He says Spain must apologize, and what is your name? My name is Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Andrés from the Aztecs. Handbook from the Mayans. López is a mix of Aztecs and Mayans, ”he laughed.

Aznar, which represents the most ultra sector of the Spanish PP and which in his time aligned himself with the most hawkish right in the world to support the second war in Iraq on the basis of false reports, regained importance in the within his party, from which he had been separated for his radical positions and his desire for control. At least that’s what happened under the tenure of his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, but now, under the leadership of Pablo Casado, the former president is returning to the center of the debate in Spain.

Also against Pope Francis

In his speech, Aznar also referred to Pope Francis’ letter of forgiveness and he did it to insult him. “In this time when we ask forgiveness for everything, I will not join the ranks of those who ask for forgiveness, the one who says it”. And it was then that he also assumed a maxim that the far-right Vox party also defends, claiming that “The new communism in Latin America is called indigenismo. And indigenismo can only go against Spain”. It was then that he directly challenged the Mexican president, ironically asking himself: “And who is telling us to ask for forgiveness?” What is your name ? Andrés Manuel López Obrador ”, to add derisive comments to his name and add that“ if if certain things had not happened, you could not have been called what your name is and you did could not have been baptized ”.

Carles Puigdemont’s response

Among the reactions of rejection to Aznar’s mocking remarks at the Pope’s forgiveness and on behalf of the President of Mexico, the harshest was the former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, a refugee in Belgium for four years, who claimed that it was “Miserable and disgusting comments, as well as xenophobic. “

In his social media account, he asked Aznar what he meant by making this joke or play with the surnames of the Mexican president. And the answer is: “Contempt for other cultures is the seed of the racism that Europe has caused so many atrocities throughout history. All my support for Andrés Manuel López Obrador.”

* From La Jornada de México.