Various left-wing formations in the Spanish Cortes Generales have expressed opposition to the Senate hosting the “transatlantic summit” of the Political Network for Values, an international far-right organization against abortion. The PSOE, ERC, Bildu, BNG, Podemos, and the Left Confederation group in the Senate have all filed requests for the cancellation of the event scheduled for December 2. Junts has also joined in demanding the suspension of the activity. The Senate’s approval of providing a space for the summit has sparked outrage among the left, with concerns about the promotion of radical and exclusionary views conflicting with the values of respect, freedom, and equality.
The PSOE, along with other left-wing parties, have called for the Senate not to host the event, citing concerns about the reputational and institutional neutrality of the Senate being compromised. The organization behind the summit, the Political Network for Values, is known for its anti-abortion stance and views considered contrary to democratic values. The Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, has criticized the Senate’s involvement in the event, urging the majority conservative party PP to prevent the Senate from becoming a platform for extremist views attacking women’s rights.
Parties like ERC, Bildu, BNG, and PNV have also expressed condemnation of the Senate’s affiliation with the anti-abortion summit. They argue that hosting such an event goes against the principles of respect for women’s rights and equality. The Red Political Network for Values, headed by ultra-conservative José Antonio Kast, opposes abortion, viewing it as murder. The organization has been actively campaigning against sexual and reproductive rights, as well as gender equity, labeling it as “gender ideology”.
Members of Podemos and the Left Confederation group in the Senate have also voiced their opposition to the event, emphasizing the need to prevent an infringement on parliamentary dignity and sexual and reproductive rights. The left-leaning parties have called for the cancellation of the summit in the Senate, highlighting the incompatibility of its values with those of a democratic society. Junts, a Catalan separatist party, has also criticized the Senate’s collaboration with an organization promoting hatred and discrimination, urging for the event’s cancellation.
Outside of the legislative sphere, feminist groups and organizations have also denounced the Senate’s involvement in the anti-abortion summit. The Coordinadora Feminista Estatal and the Observatorio de Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos have both criticized the Senate for hosting an event organized by a far-right group that goes against human rights and equality. The outrage over the Senate’s affiliation with the summit reflects a broader concern about the rise of extremist ideologies and the erosion of fundamental rights in democratic societies.
