The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has expressed her confidence that the Hispanidad festival will surpass this year the 900,000 attendees of the previous edition, an event in which, she has argued, "everything that unites" the Ibero-American peoples is celebrated against "impositions" and "cultural clashes".
Ayuso made these statements during the session of control to the Government in the Plenary of the Assembly of Madrid, where she encouraged citizens to participate in the activities of Hispanidad, which serve as a prelude to the national holiday on October 12. In this context, she emphasized that it is the time to claim that there are "many more" through "22 brother nations that share a language and a way of seeing the world".
The Madrid leader has stressed that "we see everything in a similar way, joyful, vital, in the streets, in community and hopefully the socialism of the 21st century had not corroded entire nations on the American continent because being the richest and most prosperous countries like Cuba was, like Venezuela was, today they are plunged into corruption, drug trafficking, and violence, not to mention Mexico".
In the face of this situation, she stated that, while in other parts of Spain "there is a lack of integration", in the capital the common culture of countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, or Chile is claimed, with celebrations "in theaters, in schools, in the squares, and in the streets".
Ayuso has defended that "as long as you do not boycott it, there are concerts, there are events, there is life, freedom, and joy", referring to the left of the hemicycle, which she has accused of promoting "blackouts, closures, fear, and drug trafficking".
The president particularly focused on the parade that took place along Gran Vía last weekend, where, as she described, "folklore and a way of claiming that being in Madrid one is at home" could be seen.
Ayuso also recalled that last year this festival achieved an economic impact of 46 million euros, something she considers "a reason to claim". She emphasized that "for the people who create jobs and who have to support businesses and are middle classes, it is very good for people to know Madrid, to consume in its streets, in its shops, and in its restaurants".