Santiago Abascal has always placed a good part of his first memories in Amurrio, in Álava, although his family roots do not end there. On her grandmother’s side she also maintains a link with Galicia, something that both spoke about together in a video published on the Vox España YouTube channel, called ‘Conversations between Santiago Abascal and his grandmotherwhere the political leader spoke about his origins with his grandmother, remembering some anecdotes from his childhood and when he was young.
The conversation begins precisely with some words from Alberto Núñez Feijóo about Vox and Galicia in which their relationship with the Galician community was compared to what Abascal’s party may have, for example. “Well, grandma, Feijóo says that those of us from Vox have nothing to do in Galicia or anything to do with Galicia, that we don’t paint anything there,” Abascal asks.
From there, her grandmother begins to remember her own origins, her childhood and a life that she describes as humble.
“We were very humble, we were hungry”
Among his memories, the figure of his father appears especially, whom he describes as a serene man and whose example, he assures, remained “etched like fire” in his mind.
One of the teachings he remembers from him was simple: “Don’t start fighting with anyone, don’t offend anyone.”
He also talks about the difficulties of those years and a childhood marked by deprivation. “We were very humble, we were hungry,” he remembers while also mentioning the time of ration cards.
At another point in the conversation, Abascal asks him if he remembers a visit they made together to Galicia. His grandmother does keep her in mind and she especially remembers what he told her during that trip in 2005: “This is your land, your grandmother, your roots.”
For her, that bond is still important. “I am Spanish above all, but my roots are deep, Galician,” she says.
“You have your heart for all of Spain”
The conversation then enters the debate on Galician identity and the use of languages.
Abascal asks: “What does Mr. Feijóo believe, that he is more Galician?”, and defends that Galician be protected, although he maintains that Spanish should also be taken care of as a common language.
His grandmother responds from a more personal perspective. He claims Galician, but also Castilian, and ends up transferring that identity to his grandson: “You have your heart for all of Spain.”
He also remembers what he was like as a child. “You were very brave as a child, very noble and with a very good heart,” he tells him.
And he acknowledges that he continues to be concerned about the public exposure that accompanies the policy. “It hurts me when they insult you,” he says.
In the end, the conversation ends up being less political than familial. His grandmother explains that she continues to care about him, the people who accompany him and his public activity, to the point of remembering that every night she prays for her grandson and those who work with him.
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A conversation in which Abascal tries to reclaim his Galician roots, but where the protagonist voice ends up being that of his grandmother: a woman who remembers a humble childhood, the hunger of those years and an identity that he summarizes in a simple way: Spanish, but with roots “background, background Galician.”