Spain’s ruling party, Partido Popular, explicitly rejects BDS in its National Assembly
The Partido Popular (People’s Party, PP) has approved amendments which make explicit and direct rejection of BDS part of its principles.
This was decided by rank-and-file members in its 18th Ordinary Congress, the party’s official decision-making body according to its own statutes. PP is the ruling party in Spain.
At this meeting, there was full support for the specific rejection of antisemitic activities, and for declaring the illegitimacy of BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaigns; as well, the decision was taken to not approve or give financial support to organizations which, through their actions, promote or justify discrimination on the grounds of, among others, national origin, race, religion or opinion, as is common in the anti-Israel movement.
ACOM, through both its Legal Division and its Institutional Relations, participated in the work of cooperation which has borne fruit with this first specific commitment of a Spanish political party to confront the discriminatory and coercive ideology of the BDS movement. The varnish of the solidarity narrative of the vicious anti-Israel faction cannot conceal its antisemitism, nor its ongoing glorification of terrorism and ties to islamism.
The inclusion of these positions is crucial, as from now on they will inform the PP’s legislative priorities and its government at national, regional and local levels.
ACOM congratulates the PP for firmly confronting this serious issue which threatens our basic liberties; and the Rule of Law, and will continue to work with all constitutionalist parties to apply, in effective ways, means which promote friendship with Israel, make antisemitic discrimination illegal and counteract the use of government entities to this end, suspending financial aid to groups which promote such discrimination.
We would especially like to acknowledge the work of Moisés Benarroch, President of Israeli delegation of PP , who set these amendments in motion, and José Rucabado, the jurist who defended the necessity for these measures in the Conference specified above.
Civil society asserts itself in the face of totalitarian threats. It is being backed up by the judiciary, which, following ACOM’s legal initiatives, has annulled eleven BDS motions (among these sentences is one pronounced by the Supreme Court), four other institutions have revoked BDS agreements voluntarily, and another two have seen their BDS statements legally suspended until a definitive decision is reached. Furthermore, the public prosecutor, through its Hate and Discrimination department, has acted ex officio, opening proceedings to determine the criminal responsibility of councillors who supported the agreement in a municipality. Furthermore, nine leaders of this movement in Spain have been criminally charged with harassment and intimidation of the American Jewish artist Matisyahu, perpetrated by the same self-designated BDS País Valencià group which initiated these illegal activities.
