“They are not going to silence me. My ideas are clear and I will always be protesting against these demonstrations and against these people.” This is how Cristian Caleri has assessed the fine he has just faced for participating in a 'counter-demonstration' that took place on December 5 in Arrecife, coinciding with the Vox concentration against “illegal immigration”, in which the national leader of the party, Santiago Abascal, participated.
Caleri has decided to pay the fine without appealing it and has already paid 300 euros, because otherwise he would have lost the right to the 50% reduction. However, he disagrees with the facts that are reported in the notification he received last week from the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands.
That resolution states that he tried to “boycott the right to demonstrate of those present, interrupting the rally of the political leader of Vox, with insults and continuous disrespect and giving instructions to the youngest and inciting them to violence, seriously disturbing security.”
“I wanted us to be heard, because we did not agree with that demonstration, but at no time did I incite violence,” he says. In fact, he assures that what he tried to do was “quite the opposite”. “I was precisely telling the kids to back off, because the concentration was not authorized and we could get a fine,” he says.
He even maintains that he himself mediated between the agents and the people who were demonstrating with him and that he acted with “respect” for the security forces. “They asked me if I could try to get us to go to the other side of the sidewalk and that's what we did,” he explains, recalling that they started the protest in the same park where Abascal's rally was being held, and then crossed the street to maintain a greater distance.
“No one was the ringleader”
Regarding the “insults”, he also disagrees. “We call them fascists, yes, but I think they already have that internalized. I don't think that's an insult to them,” he defends. What he does recognize is that there was some tension when Abascal was already leaving in the car, and a woman even came to “shake” the vehicle, having to be separated by the agents. “I don't remember myself getting too close, but there was an accumulation of people getting closer,” he admits.
However, he insists that “no one was the ringleader”, that “no one directed anything” and that “everyone was on their own”, since the call arose “spontaneously” through social networks. In addition, he emphasizes that in his case he was not even identified by the Police. “At no time did they identify me or ask me to identify myself,” he stresses, pointing out that he believes someone “pointed” him out. “It is impossible to prove, but I think someone said: this is Cristian Caleri,” he points out, underlining the “surprise” with which he received the notification from the Government Delegation a few days ago.
Caleri was a member of the PSOE for years and held an advisory position in the Arrecife City Council, but he left the party a long time ago, although he knows that he is known for that and also for his connection to the world of sports. “My great annoyance is that they did not identify me, but I do not want to think badly,” he insists, reiterating his astonishment because it is indicated that he “gave instructions to young people to incite violence.” “Whoever saw me knows that I was doing the opposite”, he assures.
“One even feels good paying”
In addition, he also denies that they approached the stage during the event: “Vox's discourse is clearly a xenophobic discourse, and in fact that was the reason why they came to demonstrate in Lanzarote. I just wanted us to be heard”, he maintains.
Now, although he considers that the file that was opened against him does not conform to what happened, he has decided not to appeal because he believes that it would only serve to have to invest more time and especially more money looking for a lawyer.
“I don't mind paying 300 euros. I believe that it was a concentration in which we expressed that the people of Lanzarote do not think the same as them and one even feels good paying,” he concludes.
