Marcel Guinot
Madrid (EFE) July, and with Manolita Chen and Alba Flores as the most acclaimed preachers.
The singer Blanca Paloma, Spain’s representative in Eurovision, has also ignited the crowd, who has provided the most festive note in the climax to the party together with the Argentine artist Lali Espósito.
From the stage of the proclamation, it has been called to vote “with pride” in the next general elections, chants of “Ayuso resignation” have been heard and it has also been warned that this year’s mobilizations are “especially important” due to the advance of certain speeches.
“This July 23, we risk being thrown in the trash. Not one step back”, assured Ronny de la Cruz, president of COGAM, in a message that has been repeated throughout the afternoon.
In the proclamation they have been seen, among others, the second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz; number two of the PP on the Madrid lists and delegate for Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Madrid City Council, Marta Rivera de la Cruz; the leader of Más País, Íñigo Errejón; the leader of Más Madrid, Mónica García; or the leader of the PSOE-M in the City Council of the capital, Reyes Maroto.
The leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz (d), the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the Assembly, Mónica García (c), and the deputy of Más Madrid, Carla Antonelli (2i), at the proclamation of the MADO 2023 Pride Festival. EFE / Fernando Villar
Memories of the mobilizations of July 25, 1978
Both the announcers and the other speakers at the event have made references to the mobilizations in Spain on July 25, 1978, which served to overthrow the Social Dangerous Law, which persecuted the group, a “fight” without which it would not have been possible. “to be where we are”.
The stars of the evening have been the town criers: the cast of actresses and actors from the film ‘I am loving you madly’ (Ana Wagener, Omar Banana, Alba Flores, Alex de la Croix, La Dani, Lola Buzón and Carmen Orellana) and the activist Manolita Chen, one of the first trans women who managed to change their name and gender on their ID.
Among the interpreters, it has been Alba Flores who has received the most applause and shouts for the vehemence of her speech, in which she has vindicated the critical, “anti-capitalist, anti-racist and dissident” Pride.
“No one has ever given us anything. Each advance has been the result of the mobilization of people who have put their bodies. The fight belongs to the people, to the streets and to the squares”, he stressed before those present, before pointing out that it is important that the “demand goes beyond the party”.
Manolita Chen, for her part, has taken the stage with a purple dress and folkloric motifs, and emphasizing each phrase with a heel strike to the firm, has assured that “you have to keep fighting, not only on May 28) not on 23 (July), but every year”, and added: “Here is Manolita at eighty years old”
As an anecdote, in the early stages of the afternoon the leader of Más Madrid, Mónica García, had to dress as a doctor -her profession outside of politics- to care for a person who has suffered fainting due to high temperatures.