Former Spanish deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias has turned down an invitation from the novelist Arturo Pérez-Reverte to take part in a series of conferences on the Spanish Civil War in Seville, adding to a controversy that had already led several speakers to withdraw.
The withdrawals
The controversy began when the writer David Uclés pulled out after learning that former prime minister José María Aznar and former Vox spokesman Iván Espinosa de los Monteros were among the participants. Other figures from the left followed, including Izquierda Unida’s leader Antonio Maíllo, writer Paco Cerdá and former Socialist deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo.
Iglesias’s answer
Speaking on a television programme, Iglesias compared the event to “Julio Iglesias organising a conference on feminism”. He thanked Pérez-Reverte for the invitation but said he would not take part in a forum organised by someone he regards as a right-wing provocateur, and argued that the left should not take part in debates on the Civil War framed by the right. He proposed instead a face-to-face debate with the novelist on public television.
Pérez-Reverte’s position
Pérez-Reverte has defended the conferences as a space for people with different views to discuss the war in a civilised way, and has criticised those who refused to take part. He has pointed out that both Podemos and Vox have declined invitations to the event in the past, presenting this as a sign of the polarisation that, in his view, prevents calm discussion of history.
The debate behind the debate
The dispute reflects a long-standing argument in Spain over how the Civil War and the Franco dictatorship should be remembered and discussed. Supporters of the conferences argue that bringing people from opposing political positions together is the best way to promote dialogue. Critics argue that inviting politicians alongside historians risks putting political narratives on the same level as academic research, and that the format favours certain interpretations.
The row comes at a time when historical memory remains a sensitive political issue, with laws on the subject passed at national level and in several regions, including the Balearics, regularly at the centre of political confrontation.
