Catalonia to restore anti-fascist award scrapped by PP and Vox in Valencia

Catalonia will take over awarding the anti-fascist Guillem Agulló Prize after the Valencian Parliament voted to scrap it last week. 

The award was created eight years ago in tribute to Guillem Agulló, an 18-year-old activist killed by a group of fascists in 1993. 

Catalan government spokesperson Patrícia Plaja explained on Tuesday that Catalonia will accept responsibility for the award while it is "vetoed" by the institutions in Valencia. 

It will be no longer awarded by Valencia after a proposal from far-right Vox was backed by the conservative People's Party. 

Plaja said that the award will maintain the objective of recognizing people or associations that fight against hate crimes and explained that if the Valencian institutions want to reintroduce it in the future, the Catalan government will cede responsibility. 

This distinction is "more than an award" and "symbolizes the fight against racism, xenophobia and hate crimes," Plaja said, adding it was a matter of regret that the PP and Vox majority in the Valencian Parliament were "annoyed by anti-fascist claims." 

The complete composition of the jury will be made public shortly. It will include, among others, Guillem Agulló's parents, Enric Morera, a former speaker of the Valencian Parliament, and the journalist David Fernàndez.