The attacks against the honor and family of President Sánchez, the insults, fake news, defamation, and the use of social media to destroy his private life due to the inability to defeat the opponent in democracy, are the rotten face of the current era under the storm of the far right. It is particularly serious that such a seasoned leader would even consider leaving political life due to harassment, precisely because of the democratic bond: the danger now weighs on everyone. This harassment is a new form of demonstration of the rhetoric of hate.
From a progressive European perspective, the figure of Pedro Sánchez is truly unique. Here is a young leader who, in the face of relentless enemies, has expanded Spanish governance to sectors that were alienated from parliamentary pluralism because they were considered extremist when, in reality, they represent social layers damaged by the economic crisis, lacking political formations to represent them; he has also advocated for dialogue among all communities and the State, that is to say, for a united and not divided country. It is a policy that is clearly perceived from the outside and is valued. It is not necessary here to list the internal achievements made, since 2019, under very difficult conditions: it is enough to remember that Spain has been exemplary in its management of COVID, and that, after the return of growth, today it is the economically most dynamic country in Europe, maintaining in its vital workforce the social rights recognized in recent years.
The Spanish impetus has also been manifested, and very prominently, on a European and international scale. It has decisively marked the European scenario in defense of a social-ecological, feminist, and diversity-centered development model. The Spanish example is being observed and supported by enlightened activists throughout Europe (politicians, intellectuals, associative movements, etc.). Additionally, with the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy, Pedro Sánchez has raised the flag of justice and international law, strongly condemning both the terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens by Hamas and the potentially genocidal destruction of Gaza and Palestinian civilians by the extremist government of Netanyahu. And, adding actions to words, he has called for a ceasefire and led the request for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. There is no other head of state in Europe who has done it with such dignity and courage. He has allowed Spain to be a respected and strong power. For many progressive Europeans, the symbol he embodies transcends his own personality: a way to do politics and defend solidarity and humanistic values in a historical moment characterized by the return of the far right, hatred, and the danger of war in Europe. He is the last great progressive European leader in power; to stand in solidarity with him against the intolerable is to reaffirm the value of democracy.
