Compromís and the PSPV have today demanded that the mayor of València, María José Català, of the PP, dismiss the councilor Cecilia Herrero, of Vox, against whom the prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation for alleged hate crimes in the messages of racist tone that has been spread on social networks. The councilor posted The investigation analyzes other tweets from the councilor such as “So much reconquest to end up paying for the invasion of the Moors” or “Disgusting. They are wild. Africa out of civilized Europe.
In the opinion of the prosecutor, these messages “may constitute a crime on the occasion of the exercise of fundamental rights and public freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.” The prosecutor in charge of the case is the hate crime specialist, Susana Gisbert. The spokesperson for Compromís, Papi Robles, who was the one who filed the complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office, congratulated the public ministry’s decision. ”What we don’t understand is how this councilor is still on the government team; “The mayor must stop her immediately.”
The Valencian mayor added that “this type of message from a public representative generates hatred in the street and that is why we urge civil society to go to the prosecutor’s office to report any type of racist message because it is the most effective way to fight against the extreme right.” And she has pointed out that María José Catalá “has to explain why she supports a person who promotes hatred in Valencia.”
Borja Sanjuán, councilor of the PSPV, has expressed himself in similar terms, calling it “shameful” that the city of Valencia “has a councilor investigated for hate crimes, and to whom the mayor has not reproached her for her attitude.” He has warned that if “by the end of the day Cecilia Herrero has not been dismissed, we will ask for the mayor’s resignation.”
For her part, María José Català, asked about this issue, pointed out that “we respect the actions of the prosecution and we have to wait for the process to end; “It can end with a complaint to the court or it can be archived.” Asked if she feels comfortable with a councilor who makes these types of statements, the mayor stressed that “I belong to the PP, we are not the same party, we have a government alliance, we do not have to share methods, practices and statements.” .
At the same time, he pointed out that for the Valencia City Council, “and this has been determined in a motion by the unanimity of all political groups, any comment of discrimination, any inappropriate comment, is certainly out of place.”
