Esperanza Aguirre defends Federico Jiménez Losantos to the King

Esperanza Aguirre defends Federico Jiménez Losantos to the King
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By h.b. - Oct 21, 2007 - 12:59 PM

President of the Madrid region, Esperanza Aguirre - Archive Photo EFE

The P.P. President of the Madrid region is friends with the radio presenter who has been calling for the King to abdicate

Details of a conversation which took place at the formal Royal reception ahead of the Armed Forces parade on October 12 have been printed in the Spanish press today. Both El Mundo and El País report on an exchange between King Don Juan Carlos and the P.P. President of the Madrid region, Esperanza Aguirre.

Aguirre called on the Prime Minister to give ‘humane treatment’ to the COPE radio station presenter, Federico Jiménez Losantos. Losantos has been a long time critic of the Monarch and has recently called for his abdication. His far right views have upset many in the Catholic Church which is the owner of the radio channel concerned.

The comment from Aguirre it seems upset the King, who has recently been witness to how Catalan independent activists have been burning photos of him in the streets, and he asked Agurire what she meant by ‘humane treatment’.

‘More humane treatment than that I give to everybody, equally, without discrimination?’ continued the King.

‘No’ replied Aguirre, ‘I understand that the Royal Household and the Government should treat him better, not discriminate against him’.
King Juan Carlos, now reported to be visibly angry, replied ‘I have no problem in receiving anybody. It’s me who should be treated humanely. What is all this? It’s intolerable’.

To that Aguirre is reported to have replied that she thought the situation with Losantos could be solved, that it was simply a problem of treating a person better. The President of the Madrid region has been a friend of the radio presenter for some years.

The King then said he had already called on the Bishop of Madrid, Rouco Varela, to prey less for him and the monarchy, and spend more time in the Conferencia Espiscopal, which controls the COPE radio station.

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