The world of culture has declared itself on a war footing after the censorship, vetoes and cancellations of films and plays that have occurred in the new town halls and regional governments governed by PP and Vox.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

The first of those affected was the work ‘Orlando’, by Virginia Woolf, which the Defondo Theater company planned to premiere next November in Valdemorillo, Madrid. A decision made after arriving at the Department of Culture of Vox member Victoria Amparo Gil Movellán.

The company’s producer, Pablo Huertos, describes the measure as “attack against freedom of expression and against culture”. As he explains, in a telephone conversation with a technician from the town hall, it became clear that it was “a case of ideological veto by the incoming councilor (…) because the protagonist of the show goes from being a man to a woman”.

‘The Villain of Getafe’, by Lope de Vega

In Getafe, the extreme right has also raised blisters by asking censor a well-known play by Lope de Vega because, they allege, it contains uncomfortable sexual references. On this occasion, the target of his criticism is the work ‘La Villana de Getafe’, written by Lope de Vega around 1613, which was performed on June 25 in the municipality of Getafe (Madrid).

The Getafe City Council, under the direction of the socialist Sara Hernández, contracted this work during the previous legislature as part of its cultural activities and for considering it part of the cultural heritage. However, Vox has expressed dissatisfaction with the stage adaptation, arguing that visual depictions of oversized male and female genitalia were included in the setting.

‘The sea: vision of children who have never seen it’

Xavier Bobés, theater director, has also denounced the cancellation of his play on Antoni Benaiges, a Republican teacher shot, in the municipality of Briviesca, Burgos. The play ‘The sea: vision of some children who have never seen it’ has been removed from the theatrical program of that municipality just three weeks after its performance.

The cancellation was notified to him after the formation of the new City Council after the elections last May, when José Solas of the PP became mayor with the support of the votes of Vox and Ciudadanos, unseating the socialist Álvaro Morales.

The City Hall also alleged infrastructure problemsalthough according to the author, they had found solutions.

‘Lightyear’

The Department of Culture of the Bezana City Council, directed by Vox, with the approval of the mayoress Carmen Pérez Tejedor (PP), also decided to censor the projection of the film ‘lightyear‘ at the local summer cinema for the scene in which two women kiss.

The consistory decided to replace it with ‘Bad Guys’, reprinting all the posters of the municipality and swapping one film for the other. The decision has raised many criticisms on social networks, including that of Adriana Lastra, who describes the PP as “a danger to freedom.”

The decision came in a week in which Vox intensified his crusade against the LGTBI flagwith Juan García-Gallardo, vice president of the Junta de Castilla y León, calling it a “rag”.

culture rebels

Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Alba Flores, Hugo Silva and Asier Etxeandia are some of the actresses and actors whohave come together to show their support to the newly emerged Free Arts Platform.

In a statement, said platform has indicated that it hopes to gather sufficient support to to face the ideological vetoes that are taking place. In this way, they ensure that this initiative arises as a reaction to the latest cases that have been made known.

“The situation that the Performing Arts and Music are going through is incredible, in which cancellations of shows are taking place throughout the State, strictly motivated by political and partisan criteria,” they denounce.