Pedro Sánchez said that the “time is over” for critics of immigration, after he has introduced a mass amnesty for at least 500,000 illegal immigrants. Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust (Ap) described the summit as “inspiring”.
Aukrust himself posted selfies from Fira Barcelona on Facebook on Sunday evening. The images show the development minister smiling together with Sánchez, Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa.
“In a world where much is moving in the wrong direction, it was inspiring to participate in the Spanish Prime Minister’s summit for the progressive and social democratic parties,” writes the minister on Facebook.
What Sánchez actually used the podium for is not mentioned by Aukrust in a single word.
Document asked the Minister of International Development what he thought about the content of the speech. The answer can be seen further down in the article.
Amnesty for 500,000 — adopted outside Parliament
Four days before the summit, the Sánchez government adopted a royal decree that opens for “extraordinary regularisation” of up to 500,000 illegal immigrants. They are granted a one-year residence and work permit upon documenting five months’ residence and a certificate of conduct without remarks, Euronews reports. The application deadline runs from 16 April to 30 June.
The government bypassed the national assembly—where Sánchez does not have a majority—by adopting the amnesty as an emergency regulation. A previous amnesty proposal had in fact been halted in Parliament.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk accused Sánchez of high treason following the decision.
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“Spain is the daughter of immigration”
From the podium in Barcelona, Sánchez declared that “Spain is the daughter of immigration, and we shall not become the mother of xenophobia”, according to The Spanish Eye. He accused conservative forces of exploiting immigration politically.
“Do not be misled,” he told the assembly. “Extremist forces are not shouting because they are winning—they are shouting because their time is running out,” according to the Spanish Prime Minister.
Sánchez further claimed that progressive politics has moved beyond what he described as a neoliberal model that “died in 2008”, during the financial crisis.
To the approximately 6,000 left-wing politicians, activists, and trade union leaders from more than 40 countries, Sánchez said that the populist right shouts and cries because they know that their time is running out—not because they are winning, according to AP.
The right has in vain attempted to create shame around the convictions of the Left, Sánchez asserted, adding that it is now the opponents who should be ashamed.
Document posed five questions to the Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust (Ap) about the visit.
- Do you support Sánchez’s decision to grant residence permits to approximately 500,000 persons residing illegally in Spain?
- Should Norway undertake the same type of measure with persons residing illegally in Norway?
- Sánchez described critics of immigration as “extremist” and said that “their time is over”. Do you share that description of reality?
- What inspiration did you derive from Sánchez’s policy with this main message?
- Do you fear that a Spanish mass amnesty will function as a pull factor and increase migratory pressure towards all of Europe, including Norway?
Aukrust responded as follows in a comment:
This weekend I participated in the meeting that the Prime Minister of Spain invited to in Barcelona, in order to mobilise the international Left internationally against the far right and anti-democratic forces. Questions concerning migration and residence permits were not a topic of the meeting, he says in an email to Document.
“The Left’s CPAC”
The summit Global Progressive Mobilisation (GPM)m was described by Euronews as the Left’s answer to the American conservative conference CPAC. It was organised by Socialist International, Party of European Socialists, and Progressive Alliance, with Sánchez as the driving force.
Among the participants were Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Uruguay’s Yamandú Orsi, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, as well as American Democrats such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Senator Chris Murphy.
Walz described the Trump administration as “fascist-curious”. Murphy claimed, according to Clickorlando, that the United States is not on the brink of a totalitarian regime—the country is in the midst of it.
Lula, for his part, attacked billionaires and “warlords” who, according to him, are destroying democracy, workers, and nature.
Aukrust, whose portfolio is development and aid policy, has not commented on the substance of Sánchez’s or the other speakers’ messages in his Facebook update.
The post concludes with flag emojis from South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and Greece, as well as with the slogan “All over the world — to change it!”