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Let Txapote vote for you

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"Let Txapote vote for you" (Spanish: ¡Que te vote Txapote!; full version: ¡Que te vote Txapote, Sánchez!, "Let Txapote vote for you, Sánchez!") is a political slogan that is popular among the political right and far-right in Spain during the months prior to the 2023 general elections. It is commonly used against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and mentions the ETA terrorist Francisco Javier García Gaztelu (nicknamed "Txapote").[1][2]

Political context

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After the general elections of November 2019 and the start of the 14th legislature, acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) required the abstention of the leading political parties of the nationalist left, the Catalan ERC and Basque EH Bildu, in order to form his second government during the January 2020 parliamentary session.[3] This gesture, among other minor arrangements with EH Bildu, was a central element of criticism by the Spanish political right (mainly the People's Party and Vox).[4]

Francisco Javier García Gaztelu, nicknamed "Txapote", was one of the main leaders of the Basque terrorist group ETA. He has been in prison since 2005 after being accused of committing more than a dozen murders, including those of Miguel Ángel Blanco, Gregorio Ordóñez, and Fernando Buesa.[5][6]

Origin of phrase

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Although it does not have a fully identified origin, its first media appearance dates from September 3, 2022, when, in a meeting between Pedro Sánchez and the public in Seville, an anonymous member of Solidaridad (a local Union tied to the Vox party), raised a banner at the meeting that read Que te vote Txapote ("Let Txapote vote for you").[7] Days later, Jorge Buxadé, vice president of Vox, used the phrase in a press conference.[7][8]

The slogan would reach its media zenith on January 25, 2023, when the Hablando Claro television program was broadcasting live from Cazalegas (near Toledo).[9] The topic to be discussed was the presence of a private traffic radar used by the city council, for which reason a "victim" of the radar was going to be interviewed. The interviewee was José María "Chema" de la Cierva, a photographer linked to the extreme right, son of the historian and Suárez minister Ricardo de la Cierva.[10] Chema blurted out: "Let Txapote vote for you, Sánchez, let Txapote vote for you." and continued "The media at the service of the people! Let Chapote vote for you, Sánchez. Socialist, son of a bitch, mass murderer, fuck you! Fuck everyone, socialists, red shit, fuck you!" After this, the signal was cut and returned to the set, and presenter Lourdes Maldonado.[11][12][13]

Rally of Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, in Murcia, where a supporter carries a sign with the slogan "Let Txapote vote for you Sanchez"

De la Cierva was recording what happened with his mobile phone and later published the video, appearing after the broadcast was cut off to launch a series of insults and death threats at the Televisión Española team.[14][15] The scene quickly became an internet phenomenon, especially on Twitter.[16]

The Vox communication team tried to sign Chema de la Cierva for the electoral campaign of the local and regional elections to be held the following May, but the contract was not finalized.[17] On February 2, 2023, in a plenary session of the Madrid Assembly, the president of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP) used the slogan in a parliamentary intervention addressed to the PSOE.[18] Consuelo Ordóñez, sister of politician Gregorio Ordóñez assassinated by Txapote in 1993, condemned Diaz Ayuso's use of the slogan.[19] The use of the phrase would grow throughout the campaign for the municipal and regional elections.[20] The day of the election, during an interview with the media, Pedro Sánchez was heckled at the gates of his polling station.[21]

2023 General election campaign

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The usage of the slogan increased during the pre-campaign and campaign for the general elections of July 23, 2023.[5][22] It would come from positions close to the two main political parties of the Spanish right (PP and Vox) or directly from them. During the celebration of the Sanfermines in Pamplona at the beginning of July, the live broadcast of Televisión Española was interrupted on numerous occasions with the cry of "Let Txapote vote for you, Sánchez".[23]

On July 10 in the debate organized by Atresmedia that pitted Sánchez against PP president Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Sánchez asked Feijóo if he condemned the use of the slogan. Feijóo did not give a clear answer, leading Basque parties to refuse to negotiate potential support for his bid for the prime ministership.[24][25] As its use increased, the first criticisms also appeared. On July 11, 2023, the Collective of Victims of Terrorism, the Fernando Buesa Foundation, and several independent victims asked not to use the slogan as they considered it "a trivialization of terrorism and terrorists".[26] The use of the slogan, however, divided the victims of terrorism, with María del Mar Blanco, sister of Txapote's victim Miguel Ángel Blanco, and many others openly supporting its use.[27]

Most of the Spanish political spectrum ended up taking position over the phrase. Borja Sémper, spokesman for the Popular Party, acknowledged that the expression caused him discomfort.[28] The Basque Nationalist Party, through Aitor Esteban, criticized the use of the slogan as "hurtful", but said that it was just as hurtful that EH Bildu was fielding convicted ETA members in its lists.[29] The head of the EH Bildu list for Guipúzcoa, Mertxe Aizpurua, described the use of the slogan as "undignified".[30]

On July 20, 2023, the Central Electoral Board stated that according to Article 93 of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime, wearing T-shirts bearing this slogan on election day would be considered electoral propaganda and was therefore forbidden. The information was a response to a query made from Jaén due to a campaign on social networks encouraging voters to go to the polling stations wearing T-shirts screen-printed with the slogan alongside the Spanish coat of arms.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Spain's hot summer election: A simple guide". BBC News. 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  2. ^ Madrid, Isambard Wilkinson (2023-08-10). "Spanish PM struggles to shrug off slogan that links him to Eta". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  3. ^ "Pedro Sánchez, investido presidente gracias a la abstención de ERC y Bildu". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  4. ^ "Sánchez y Feijóo se enzarzan por los pactos con Bildu: de Miguel Ángel Blanco al "que te vote Txapote"". Crónica Vasca (in Spanish). 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  5. ^ a b "¿Quién es Txapote? El etarra convertido en protagonista de la campaña: asesinó a 13 personas y estará en la cárcel hasta 2031". Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  6. ^ "Pair tried for key Basque murder". 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. ^ a b Cid, Guillermo; Rocha, Carlos (2023-06-23). "La mañana sevillana en la que un anónimo seguidor de Vox inventó el "Que te vote Txapote"". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  8. ^ Cristóbal, Natalia (2022-09-12). "Vox, irónico, sobre la docuserie que prepara Sánchez: "El título será 'Que te vote Txapote'"". El Debate (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  9. ^ ""¡Que te vote Txapote!": intrahistoria del grito contra Sánchez que hasta Vox, Ayuso o Girauta han utilizado". El Plural (in Spanish). 2023-01-26. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  10. ^ "Los gritos de De la Cierva hijo: "Que te vote Txapote, genocida" y "Con Franco no había IVA"". El Mundo (in Spanish). 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  11. ^ Independiente, El (2023-01-25). "Momento surrealista en TVE: un hombre insulta a Pedro Sánchez durante una entrevista en directo por un radar". El Independiente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  12. ^ SER, Cadena (2023-01-25). ""¡Sánchez genocida, que te vote Txapote!": un hombre responde así tras ser preguntado sobre un radar y amenaza a un reportero al grito de "te mato a hostias"". cadena SER (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  13. ^ El surrealista momento en directo en TVE: "Que te vote Txapote", retrieved 2023-08-10, ESDiario.com
  14. ^ "El directo en La 1 que acabó en insultos contra Sánchez: "¡Que te vote Txapote, genocida!"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  15. ^ verTele, Redacción (2023-01-25). "Un hombre amenaza de muerte a un equipo de TVE tras insultar a Pedro Sánchez cuando iba a ser entrevistado". Vertele (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  16. ^ ""¡Que te vote 'Txapote'!": el enfado viral del hombre que insulta a Sánchez en plena conexión en directo". El Español (in Spanish). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  17. ^ "Del grito contra Sánchez "que te vote Txapote" al nuevo "Vox me roba" contra el "traidor" Abascal". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  18. ^ Mateo, Juan José (2023-02-02). "La frase de Ayuso que indigna por igual al PSOE y las víctimas de ETA: "Que te vote Txapote"". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  19. ^ "La hermana de Gregorio Ordóñez afea a Ayuso su "que les vote Txapote" al PSOE". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  20. ^ Pozo, Alicia Avilés (2023-05-19). "El PP pasa a otro nivel en su obsesión con ETA: Sánchez, Otegi y Page, juntos bajo el lema "que os vote Txapote"". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  21. ^ "Pedro Sánchez, abucheado en su colegio electoral: "¡Que te vote Txapote!" | VÍDEO". ElNacional.cat (in Spanish). 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  22. ^ Gálvez, Óscar López-Fonseca, J. J. (2023-07-11). "El "que te vote Txapote" de PP y Vox enfrenta a las víctimas del terrorismo". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Martínez, Héctor Llanos (2023-07-12). "Un reportero de RTVE denuncia las agresiones verbales al ritmo del 'que te vote Txapote' durante la cobertura del ente público en Sanfermines". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  24. ^ Gil, Iván (2023-07-11). "De Txapote al Falcon: el intento de pinchar la burbuja sanchista se vuelve contra Pedro Sánchez". elconfidencial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  25. ^ Subirana, Carla (2023-07-27). "Why Spain's Popular Party is doomed to fail". EUobserver. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  26. ^ Independiente, El (2022-07-16). "Covite pide que los partidos "dejen en paz a las víctimas": "Todos las han usado"". El Independiente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  27. ^ "Más de cien víctimas de ETA, entre ellas Marimar Blanco, avalan el lema 'Que te vote 'Txapote': "Ha nacido del pueblo"". Europa Press. 2023-07-11. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  28. ^ "Borja Sémper, sobre el 'que te vote Txapote': "Es una frase que me incomoda porque Txapote quiso matarme y no la uso"". Cadena SER (in European Spanish). 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  29. ^ 20minutos (2023-07-13). "El PNV cree que el lema 'Que te vote Txapote' es "hiriente", pero también que EH Bildu llevara a 40 etarras en sus listas". www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Bildu ve "indigno" el uso del lema 'Que te vote Txapote' y pide "respetar a las víctimas"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  31. ^ 20minutos (2023-07-20). "La Junta Electoral avisa: no se podrá votar con camisetas con el lema 'Que te vote Txapote'". www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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