Activist Antolín Pulido Reports Harassment and Legal Pressure Following Historical Memory Campaign
El Salto
- Antolín Pulido, a long-time activist and human rights defender, claims he has been forced into exile from Madrid due to persistent harassment from the far-right.
- Pulido faces a potential two-and-a-half-year prison sentence following a hate crime investigation by the Madrid Provincial Prosecutor’s Office regarding his political commentary.
Background and Life History
- Born in 1962, Pulido grew up in a republican family and initially fled Spain for Mexico during the Franco dictatorship after facing police violence as a child.
- His background includes service in the Polisario Front and the Cuban military, as well as participation in peace brigades focused on child trafficking and conflict zones in the Balkans and Congo.
- He reports that his wife, a physician, was a victim of Augusto Pinochet’s "death flights" while pregnant.
Current Activism and Conflict
- Pulido’s recent troubles stem from an encounter with far-right political figure Vito Quiles during a protest in March 2024. Following the event, he alleges he was targeted online and in-person, resulting in property damage and harassment at his home.
- He has become a prominent advocate for restoring the Almudena Memorial, which honored 3,000 victims of the Spanish Civil War and was removed by Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida in 2019.
- Pulido co-founded the group "Los Nadies en Lucha" to protest the memorial's removal through monthly gatherings and advocacy.
- The organization is currently led by María Isabel Dorado, who continues the push for the memorial's reinstatement despite being expelled from recent city council sessions.