The Compromís coalition is requesting that the Benidorm City Council reconsider the public honours given to him. The city in the province of Alicante has a bust of the singer in L’Aigüera Municipal Park and an outdoor auditorium named after him.
According to a news release from the Valencian nationalist party Compromís, the reports “compel institutions to reflect on the appropriateness of maintaining public honours and names linked to certain figures.” According to Compromís, public tributes are not neutral nor divorced from societal discussions, and continuing them necessitates adopting a position.
Publicly owned cultural venues “cannot remain detached from such relevant social debates as respect, equality, and the fight against gender-based violence,” according to Pere Beneito, their municipal spokeswoman in Benidorm. Reviewing these honours, Beneito stressed, “does not mean judging an artistic career as a whole,” but rather recognising that organisations need to behave properly and in line with contemporary democratic ideals.
Toni Pérez, the Mayor of Benidorm, has invoked the assumption of innocence and stated that no adjustments are currently being considered. Given that a complaint has been submitted to the National Court Prosecutor’s Office, the PP councillor emphasised that “the presumption of innocence still prevails in Spain” and urged respect for the legal system in remarks published by the publication Información. Nevertheless, Pérez wished to remind everyone that Julio Iglesias’s accolades are related to his victory over forty years ago at the Benidorm International Song Festival. Pérez noted that since then, “life hasn’t gone on the same; there is now a state of law.” He won with the song “La vida sigue igual” (Life Goes On).
Public performances and athletic activities, including football games or the Eurovision Song Contest, take place in the auditorium, an outdoor amphitheatre. Benidorm Fest has been held there, along with concerts and other festival-related events.
In the meantime, Àgueda Micó, a Compromís party lawmaker, has demanded that the government take back the 1988 Ministry of Culture Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. Micó emphasised that public distinctions “are not immutable” and called on the government to take consistent, socially conscious action, particularly in an environment where institutions are supposed to lead by example in the battle against sexual assault and harassment.
Author: Derek Appleton
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