International
Spain and Mexico evoke 85 years of republican exile: “A great day for democracy”
Spain and Mexico remembered this Thursday the 85th anniversary of the arrival of the “Sinaia”, the first ship with Republican exiles that arrived on the Mexican coasts in 1939, as a transcendental milestone in the “fraternal community” between the two countries and a celebration of “democracy.”
“The Sinaia was the first ship of exile, the first ship of hope (…) Today is a great day for democracy,” said the Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, in his speech.
The event, held at the residence of the Spanish ambassador to Mexico, Juan Duarte, coincided with another June 13, 1939, when the ship arrived on the coast of Mexico in Veracruz with more than 1,500 people on board fleeing the dictatorship of Francisco Franco at the end of the civil war, between 1936 and 1939.
The ceremony was attended, in addition to the Spanish Minister Torres, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Government, Alicia Bárcena; the Mexican politician and son of President Lázaro Cárdenas (1934-1940), Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, as well as diplomats and representatives of the Spanish exile in Mexico.
It was precisely under the initiative of President Cárdenas that Mexico led to the arrival of Spanish Republicans, and it is estimated that in the period 1939-1942 between 20,000 and 25,000 Spaniards entered Mexico.
“Beyond the pain that has never gone, the exile brought very beneficial elements. He enriched Mexico and Mexico was enriched with the exiles,” said 90-year-old Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas.
The Mexican politician received one of the first diplomas of tribute and recognition given by the Spanish Government during the ceremony for the “indefatigable” work of his father and mother, Amalia Solórzano.
For his part, Bárcena stressed that the “face” of the exiles “was, is and will be fruitful” and consolidated that Spain and Mexico became “a fraternal and supportive community.”
The chancellor also narrated that the ship that left France with 1,598 passengers reached the coasts of Veracruz (Mexico), three weeks later with 1,599 with the birth of a baby on the crossing who was named Susana Sinaia, in memory of the boat and symbol of hope.
Remarking that his was the first visit of a minister of Democratic Memory to Mexico, Torres stressed “the length of exile.”
“How many suitcases bought, how many suitcases thrown away,” he lamented.
In addition to a historical drama, Torres said, it was “a huge loss of talent,” by citing among the figures who arrived in Mexico fleeing the Franco dictatorship the poets León Felipe, Manuel Altolaguirre and Luis Cernuda; as well as the philosophers María Zambrano and José Gaos.
Precisely, among the diplomas given to relatives were the Altolaguirre and Gaos and even some who traveled on board those first Spanish ships when they were barely boys and girls, such as the writer Angeline Muñiz Haberman, who read an emotional poem about the persistence of exile.
As part of the commemoration activities, the Spanish Government designated the historic Spanish Athenaeum of Mexico on Wednesday as the first Place of Memory abroad.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
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