Mónica Oltra has reappeared at an event in Valencia's Jardín Botánico alongside Irene Montero, Sira Rego, and Brazil's first lady Janja Lula da Silva to reject political violence against women. The event, titled 'No to war, no to political violence, for an ecofeminist world', took place on Thursday before about 300 supporters. It precedes a summit of progressive leaders in Barcelona.
At the Jardín Botánico of the University of Valencia, Mónica Oltra, former vice president of the Generalitat Valenciana and Compromís candidate for Valencia mayor, shared the stage with Irene Montero, Podemos MEP; Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Childhood from Izquierda Unida; and Janja Lula da Silva. The colloquium, organized by the university and the Colectivo de Mulheres Brasileiras na Diáspora, drew about 300 attendees under intense sun.
Oltra, after four years sidelined by a judicial case of alleged cover-up of sexual abuse by her ex-husband, defended her return: “I asked myself, do we surrender or do we stand up? We stand up”. She described political violence as a 'disciplinary element' that destroys people and deters women from politics. She also criticized wars: “Wars are organized by rich white men far from where they live".
Irene Montero urged not repeating past mistakes and not leaving victims alone: “Nothing from the past is more important than what we can do in the future”. Sira Rego proposed politicizing fear and using feminism as a compass. Janja Lula da Silva warned of four daily feminicides in Brazil and the rise of the far right.
The event occurs amid reconfiguration of the left of PSOE, with Oltra's return, ahead of the Spain-Brazil summit in Barcelona gathering progressive leaders this weekend. Attendees included former mayor Joan Ribó and deputies from Sumar and Compromís.
