My intervention in the plenary session of the Island Council of Lanzarote, where the island budgets for 2024 were debated, had an unexpected impact on me. As you know, when we reached the amendments of Vox, I asked the president for an individual vote to position myself, first from the ideological coherence of my party and second for professional ethics, against all the initiatives presented by the far-right party.
My argument was the following, and I quote verbatim: “I resort to the individual vote because as a councilor of Nueva Canarias, due to political ideology and professional ethics, I vote against all the amendments presented by a xenophobic, racist political party that is against human rights like Vox”. In my response to the councilor of the far right who asked me to retract what I said, I said the following: “I am not going to retract because I am not going against you as a person, I am going against the ideology of a party that is Vox that in all public institutions that have representation ignore gender violence, are against human rights, are against migrants and above all have removed rainbow flags and say that people with different sexual orientations are mentally disturbed. Therefore, due to my political ideology and my professional ethics as a social worker, I do not retract before the ideology of your party, not of you as a person.”
This position of blocking the far right regardless of the initiatives they present is not new in politics. At the European level, the so-called “sanitary cordon” to the far right aims to not normalize its presence in institutions and not whitewash its main reactionary proposals. Because the strategy maintained by the far-right is to propose many “white” or “neutral” initiatives to seek the favorable vote of other parties while in their speeches and institutional action they flaunt intolerance, climate denial and gender violence, censorship of culture, racism and machismo. Therefore, my vote in the Cabildo was consistent with what my party has been doing in the Parliament of the Canary Islands and with what many democratic parties do in Europe. What is not coherent is what came after.
I have to recognize that in politics any decision you make will be valued and interpreted in different ways. My no to Vox was understood by many people who know me personally and professionally in a positive way, and I even received many congratulations and encouragement from people I didn't know at all. On the other hand, the adverse and critical reaction was seen in some media.
I have seen many things in my professional life as a social worker. I have treated victims of gender violence; of social exclusion; of trafficking; or with disabilities. All of these with a common pattern, not having it easy for the simple fact of being a woman. I say this because many of the criticisms that were made in certain gatherings and comments on networks and digital media were not aimed at questioning the ideological and political position of this councilor and her party. They were against the fact of doing it a woman who, a priori, does not paint much in the mixed group made up of two more men.
Arguments such as “she doesn't even know what her advisors wrote for her, she just read what they imposed on her from her party”; “she has used Vox to deepen the division with Óscar Noda”; “she already got her minute of glory”; or “she doesn't say no to her salary as a councilor”. All these assertions for the fact of having been me, the second on the electoral list who should not make much noise, but rather limit myself to going to the plenary sessions and raising my hand as indicated. By the way, for the moment without having received a salary as a councilor since today I am still in my job as a social worker, I am a single mother of two young children and I am preparing for some competitive examinations. But they are not interested in that, are they?
Faced with these accusations, lies, contempt and machismo, I say NO again. No to the discrimination that women suffer for the mere fact of being so. No to being undervalued in the positions we hold. No to being treated as puppets supervised by a man. No to constantly questioning our leadership capacity. No to our freedom of expression, without fears and without corsets. No to ridicule for reasons of sexual orientation or physical appearance. No to the sexual image we suffer; no to continue being murdered. And, fundamentally, no to those who maintain these behaviors, but, above all, no to those who endorse it with their complicit silence.
My act does not pretend to be heroic nor do I want to be an example of anything. But if it has served to show in the public sphere that there are public representatives and political formations that are not going to give an inch to those who intend to cut off conquered rights, welcome all those criticisms and insults. I will gladly be the bad guy again. As women have historically been.
Daisy Villalba is a councilor of Nueva Canarias-Canarian Bloc in the Island Council of Lanzarote.