New tension in the full Manacor with the controversial Vox councilor: "You are dictators, you are braggarts"

ManacorThat the plenary sessions of the Manacor City Council are something else is a fact demonstrable with the videos that the council itself uploads each month to its Youtube channel. It is clear that like any good ‘show’, the plenary session has politically boring and administrative procedural moments; but it has others, especially when it comes to the turn of requests and questions, where the emotion skyrockets (and often goes crazy).

The contenders that provide the most entertainment are those with the most opposing ideals: Més-Esquerra (majority team of the governing team, with AIPC and PSOE as partners) and Vox (in opposition with the PP). The far-right party, which has two councilors since this legislature, has Esteve Sureda as its spokesperson.

Turban, ponytail, and red-rimmed glasses worn outside the ears: the image defines the character Sureda. A man who started the last campaign as a candidate for Nou Ordre Nacional (also right-wing and which a few months ago merged in Manacor with Unió Mallorquina), but disagreements with Pedro Duran, its ideologue and sponsor, led him to a change of club a few days before the pre-election transfer market closed.

“On the third time I will throw him out”“I have never seen him at the ‘cosetxadorada’ or at the bullfights”

After several false historical references to Republican repression during the civil war in Manacor, Sureda questioned Ferran Montero, the councilor for Culture, about the theatrical criteria that the municipality will apply, “prioritizing works in Catalan, without considering if another in Spanish is better or has better actors”.

“I could also have presented it at the last Board of Directors of the Theatre… but he didn't come. Also at the previous one, but he didn't come either… In fact, Mr. Sureda, you haven't come to the Board of Directors of the Theatre for three years to talk about the Theatre. Therefore, I will tell you not to focus so much on Catalan and focus more on doing work,” Montero replied, leaving Sureda out of play, who tried to counterattack with little success.

“I have never seen you at the ‘cosetxadorada’ or at the bullfights”“Mr. Montero, don't send me tasks. Do you come to the ‘cosetxadorada’ of the Crossroads to defend the interests of the peasants?, because I have never seen you. Do you come to the bullfights or to the April Fair? You have taken possession of something that is not yours. Not everyone is Catalan, nor Catalanist, nor an independentist!” Sureda retorted as a confrontation strategy.

Which continued with a kind of prophecy: “You say: we will continue to promote it and we will continue to do it… That's not true!, because in the year 2027 you will no longer be here. There will be others, and they will not do what you say. You don't have to send me any work, I don't have to go to the theatre,” he concluded.

The linguistic debate, which flares up when the spark of Vox ignites in a municipality traditionally committed to theater and its own language like Manacor, continued with bitter reproaches and new interruptions. “Mr. Sureda, behave yourself. People complain that we come here to fight, and all we do is make a fool of ourselves… you first,” reprimanded Oliver.

“This is the third time I’ve called your attention,” said Oliver. “ I’ve also been insulted,” jumped in Sureda. “If you feel insulted, that’s your problem. You are answering Mr. Llodrà using your turn to speak as the rules foresee, and if you interrupt again, I will have you removed.”

Llodrà finally closed the linguistic debate: “There are 50 television channels and there are only one and a half in Catalan (referring to TV3 and IB3), thousands of books are published in the world and in Spain in Spanish, and very few in Catalan; therefore, it is evident that it is up to us to compensate. And one small thing, doing theater in Spanish is not a guarantee that fascists won’t shoot you either, because that’s what happened to Federico García Lorca.”