Associations of victims of terrorism such as Covite and the Fernando Buesa Blanco Foundation, and some twenty victims of ETA, in their personal capacity, have given PP and Vox a slap on the wrists in reference to the slogan ‘That I vote for you Txapote’, that politicians from both formations have been using it for months. Among the victims who subscribe to the text there are also relatives of PP councilors murdered by ETA, such as José Ignacio Iruretagoyena or Manuel Zamarreño.
These groups consider that this motto, popularized by Isabel Díaz Ayuso and her communication team, “represents a trivialization of terrorism and terrorists”, while indicating that “it is very painful for many victims”, and they assure that “it is not at all helps the task of delegitimizing terrorism” for which they work “every day.
The text indicates that Xabier García Gaztelu Txapote is the murderer of dozens of people. “That the families of his victims have to listen to his name tirelessly in a slogan that undermines what the murder of his relatives meant is unworthy and cruel, for which we ask, once again, the political class and the citizenry to stop use it,” they say.
Along these lines, the victims of ETA terrorism ask for “respect” for the memory of their relatives, as well as for “the plurality and diversity of the group of victims as a whole”. “The cause of Memory, Truth, Dignity and Justice has no political ideology and should stay away from patrimonialization and partisan polarization, which is why we demand that no political party assume our representation or impose on us how the victims have to feel “, they assure.
“We are in a difficult moment for the memory of the past of terrorism, in which the temptation to forget and to turn the page without having addressed the pending task of the ethical, social and political delegitimization of ETA is very great,” they warn.
This is not the first time that victims of terrorism have criticized this trivialization of terrorism by some politicians and, specifically, the use of ‘Que te vote Txapote’. The president of Covite, Consuelo Ordoñez, sister of the PP councilor Gregorio Ordoñez murdered by ETA, has confronted popular leaders on several occasions over the use of this slogan. García Gaztelu, not in vain, was one of the material authors of the murder of his brother. Other victims of ETA have also been criticizing this slogan, with little success, who have repeatedly demanded that terrorism not be used as a political weapon.
The former leader of the Basque PP María San Gil explained the reason for this use, noting that they are aware that it harms the victims, although “it gives votes”. “Yes, it bothers the victims and they feel it’s trivializing, but you have to keep using it because it gives votes,” she said.
