Madrid, Dec 24 (EFE).- Spain’s King Felipe VI called attention on Tuesday to the “clamorous” demand for serenity in Spanish society in the face of the sometimes “thunderous” political conflict, a discord that he has warned cannot drown out the voices of citizens.
The call for attention was one of the messages spotlighted in a Christmas speech in which the king addressed Spain on Christmas Eve, and which began and ended with emotional words for those affected by the flooding that devastated several areas of Spain, especially Valencia, almost two months ago.
The Spanish head of state addressed the public from the Hall of Columns, decorated with a Christmas tree, a nativity scene and an image of people affected by the flooding, soldiers and volunteers collecting mud in Paiporta, Valencia.
In his 11th Christmas message, Felipe VI, who this year celebrated the 10th anniversary of his proclamation, asked that aid reach all those affected by the floods who need it and recalled that in many of the affected towns there is still much to do, and “where the need of the residents is so great that it makes all efforts seem small, even without losing hope.”
The king said that consensus around what is essential must be a constant practice, and necessary to maintain confidence in institutions.
“A pact of coexistence is protected by dialogue; that dialogue, with height and generosity, must always nourish the definition of the common will and the action of the State. That is why it is necessary that the political conflict, legitimate, but sometimes thunderous, does not prevent us from hearing an even more clamorous demand: a demand for serenity,” stressed the head of State. “We cannot allow discord to become a constant background noise that prevents us from hearing the authentic pulse of the citizens.”
For the monarch, “consensus around what is essential, not only as a result, but also as a constant practice, must always guide the public sphere. Not to avoid the diversity of opinions, legitimate and necessary in democracy, but to prevent that diversity from leading to the denial of the existence of a shared space.”
According to the king, the issues that concern society must be addressed, such as the growing international instability, the climate in which public debate often takes place, the difficulties in accessing housing and the management of immigration.
Regarding immigration, Felipe VI has stressed the need for its treatment to be based on the recognition of the dignity “that every human being deserves,” on integration and respect for the laws and basic rules of coexistence by all.
He also referred to concerns about the difficulty in accessing housing that affects, above all, young people and especially in large cities, a situation in which he said it is important that all the actors involved “reflect, listen to each other, examine the different options and that this dialogue leads to solutions that facilitate access to housing in acceptable conditions, especially for the youngest and most unprotected.”
He referred to the youth that has filled society with pride, “turning out in droves to give their best” in the streets of the towns affected by the floods and in which lies the future of a Spain, “a nation with a prodigious history, despite its dark chapters.”
And, regarding the international outlook, he has warned how in a complex, changing “and even convulsive” scenario, the validity of democracy as a system of government is sometimes discussed, a context in which Europe remains the “most valuable reference.”
He also stressed how “international law is too often questioned, violence is resorted to, the universality of human rights is denied and multilateralism is doubted to face global challenges.” EFE
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