The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) has canceled a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with socialist representatives after a tweet from PSE-EE featuring an AI-generated image of its leader, Aitor Esteban, jumping into a pool. Nationalists called it a «lack of respect of this caliber» and «indecent». The controversy arises amid tensions over Statute reform and mandatory Basque in public service.
The crisis erupted on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, after PNV president Aitor Esteban expressed optimism in an Euskadi Irratia interview about negotiations for a new Statute of Autonomy. PSE-EE replied on social network X with the comment «Wow! Now there's water in the new Statute pool... says the PNV», accompanied by an AI image of Esteban jumping into a pool.
The PNV responded immediately: «There is nothing that justifies a lack of respect of this caliber. It is indecent. The meeting of @Aitor_Esteban with Moncloa tomorrow is canceled», they posted. Socialist sources clarified the meeting, set at the PNV headquarters in Bilbao (Sabin Etxea), was with PSE general secretary Eneko Andueza, his Organization secretary Miguel Ángel Morales, and PSOE's Antonio Hernando for follow-up issues like statutory reform, not directly with La Moncloa.
The fallout occurs amid unrest in the Basque coalition since 2016, worsened by debate over requiring Basque in public job exams. Esteban announced the PNV will present a «viable» proposal this week to reform the Public Employment Law, criticizing PSE's rigid stance. Recent court rulings, like the 2023 Constitutional Court decision, have annulled language requirements, leading to opposing proposals from PNV and EH Bildu.
PSE accused PNV of following EH Bildu's lead and abandoning prior consensuses: «The defense of self-government, the defense of Basque, and the defense of the interests of Basque society as a whole deserve rigor, dedication, and generosity. With these ingredients, PSE-EE will be the first in the task, but without partisanship or electoral calculations».
