<< | Índex | >>

Fernando Abril Martorell

Fernando Abril Martorell (València 1936-Madrid 1998) was Valencian, although he was closely linked to Segovia, where his wife came from. Vice-president of the Spanish government in the time of Adolfo Suárez, he is credited with three phrases:

"en Madrid no saben que, después de Cataluña, donde más peligroso es el nacionalismo es en Valencia" [in Madrid they do not know that, after Catalonia, where nationalism is most dangerous is in València]
"el catalanismo en Valencia es un cáncer que hay que extirpar" [Catalanism in Valencia is a cancer that must be eradicated]
"la teoría de los "Países Catalanes" es una teoría de paranoicos políticos" [the theory of the "Catalan Countries" is a theory of paranoid politicians]

In his "defense", it could be said that he acted as a "statesman". Since he was aware that with the advent of the democratic regime in Spain there would be an outbreak of nationalisms throughout the state, he saw the "danger" for the Spanish state of a union or alliance between Catalonia and the Valencian Country at all levels (mainly economic, but also demographic, political, cultural, etc.).

In his "accusation", first of all, it must be said that it is evidently unfortunate that in the creation of modern Spanish anti-Catalanism in the Valencian Country, a Valencian had such a prominent role. Because in addition, his dedication to the anti-Catalan cause in the Valencian Country was total. Not only did he "blaverize" the incipient UCD party in the Valencian Country (which held an identical discourse to that of later anti-Catalan groups), but it has been said that he even funded anti-Catalan groups, such as the violent GAV (about which we will talk later) out of his own pocket. Evidently, perhaps in his statesman condition, he was the main sponsor and instigator of anti-Catalanism in the Valencian Country during the Spanish transition, and so all the other actors we will be naming responded to a large extent to his instigation. He died of cancer in 1998.