Cádiz City Council postpones Juan Carlos Aragón star following conviction for abuse becoming known
The ceremony scheduled for 24 May on the Carnival Walk of Fame was suspended after his ex-wife submitted a 2010 sentence for physical and emotional abuse.
Suspension of star on Carnival Walk of Fame in Cádiz
Cádiz City Council postponed indefinitely, on Saturday afternoon, the unveiling of a star honouring Juan Carlos Aragón on the Carnival Walk of Fame, located in Fragela square next to the Gran Teatro Falla. The ceremony had been scheduled for Sunday 24 May and was to include performances by 'La banda del Capitán Veneno', his final chirigota 'Er Chele Vara', and performers who had been part of his comparsas, among them Ángel Subiela and Carli Brihuega.
According to ABC, the City Council justified the suspension with a brief statement: it alluded to "a letter received this Saturday morning from a person concerning a matter in the family sphere and which was accompanied by various documents". With that reasoning, the City Council announced that both the unveiling of the star and a round-table discussion scheduled for the afternoon at the Casa del Carnaval were being postponed to gather further information.
Ex-wife submits 2010 sentence
Journalist Carmen Morillo, a member of the Andalusian Audiovisual Council, was the first to clarify the contents of the letter on social networks. According to Morillo, Juan Carlos Aragón's ex-wife requested the suspension of the tribute arguing that the author "is not a role model due to his repeated conduct of physical and emotional abuse". The letter, which also reached the PSOE and Adelante Andalucía, attached medical reports of injuries and a 2010 sentence condemning Aragón to one year and eleven months in prison for physical and emotional abuse, threats and harassment within the family sphere. The judicial ruling also included protective measures for her and her son.
Political reactions
PSOE councillor Paula Fernández backed the municipal decision. "The proof of the existence of a final judicial sentence for abuse leaves no doubt about the facts that occurred", said Fernández, who described the suspension as "timely". The councillor stressed that administrations must position themselves "unequivocally on the side of victims" and that respect for those suffering gender-based violence must take precedence over any other consideration, including the public prominence of the person being honoured.
Lorena Garrón, councillor for Adelante Izquierda Gaditana—a coalition comprising Adelante Andalucía and Izquierda Unida—was more direct in her assessment. "Many generations have grown up listening to his chirigotas and comparsas. We have sung his lyrics until saturation. Many people have idolised him because he was a benchmark in the Carnival. No one disputes that. For some time there have been rumours in gossip circles that he was an abuser and yet we have chosen to act as if we had not noticed, because male role models are not questioned and certainly not if they have died", wrote Garrón.
The councillor added that "today, one of those sentences has been made public. And that is that. No administration can sugar-coat reality because this is not just a matter in the family sphere. There is a final judicial sentence for physical and verbal assault and that should suffice without any excuses whatsoever".
Aragón's legacy and the debate over the work and the person
Juan Carlos Aragón is considered one of the most acclaimed writers of the Cádiz Carnival and probably the author with the greatest reach outside the capital of Cádiz, due to the depth of his lyrics, his irony and his musical richness. He died seven years ago, and the tribute was in response to a widespread demand within the carnival world. His figure transcends the Carnival: there is a foundation bearing his name and a state school also carries his name.
The facts recorded in the sentence and in the medical reports date back sixteen years. It is his ex-partner who has decided to make that information public now, confirming rumours which, according to Garrón, had been circulating for some time. The situation revives the debate, which is not new, between admiration for an artist's work and condemnation of his actions, to which is added the question of the right to reintegration after serving a sentence.
The City Council has not set a new date for the unveiling of the star nor has it outlined the steps it will take after analysing the documentation received.
Source: ABC