Free and Equal (Spain)

Free and Equal (Spanish: Libres e Iguales) is a Spanish civic organisation born as a reaction against Catalan nationalism. According to the movement, its aims are "defending democratic principles, mobilising Spanish society against Catalan independence, and delegitimising nationalism".[1]

Free and Equal
Libres e Iguales
FormationJuly 15, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-07-15)
TypeCivic platform
Legal statusVoluntary association
Key people
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo
Websitewww.libreseiguales.es

The organisation's name alludes to article 1 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ("Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions can be founded only on the common good.") as well as the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ("All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood").

It was launched on the 15th July 2014 outside the Congreso de los Diputados with headline manifesto promises of "reclaiming the 1978 Spanish constitution", rejecting the "breakup" of the national sovereignty of Spanish people, and a search for a pact of major Spanish political parties against secessionism.[2][3][4]

Following the 2015 local and regional elections, the group called for PP, PSOE, UPyD and C's to create a pact against populism, with the objective of "preventing populist contamination from lethally eroding the institutions and fundamental bases of Spanish democracy".[5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Quiénes somos" [Who we are]. www.libreseiguales.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  2. ^ "Nace 'Libres e iguales', plataforma para movilizar a la opinión pública española ante el proyecto soberanista" ['Free and equal' is born, a platform to mobilise public opinion against the sovereignist project]. Europa Press (in Spanish). Madrid. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. ^ Cué, Carlos E. (2014-07-15). "Un manifiesto con Vargas Llosa y Suárez Illana pide a Rajoy que actúe contra Mas" [A manifesto with Vargas Llosa and Suárez Illana asks Rajoy to act against Mas]. El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  4. ^ Ríos, Pere; Cué, Carlos E. (2014-07-14). "Un manifiesto antinacionalista se opone a que Rajoy negocie con la Generalitat" [An anti-nationalist manifesto opposes Rajoy negotiating with the Generalitat]. El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  5. ^ "Libres e Iguales pide pactos entre PP, PSOE, UPyD y Ciudadanos" [Free and Equal asks for pacts between PP, PSOE, UPyD and Ciudadanos]. abc (in Spanish). 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  6. ^ González, Santiago (2015-03-18). "Libres e Iguales contra el populismo" [Free and Equal against populism]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.