Estrella Galán Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [esˈtɾeʎa ɣaˈlan]; born 24 April 1971)[1] is a Spanish human rights activist who is the director general of the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR). She was Sumar's lead candidate for the 2024 European Parliament election in Spain, and was elected a Member of the European Parliament, where she joined the parliamentary group of The Left.
Estrella Galán | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| Assumed office 16 July 2024 | |
| Constituency | Spain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1971 Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | Independent (linked to Movimiento Sumar) |
Early life and education
editGalán was born in Madrid.[2] She has a degree in social and cultural anthropology, and a diploma in social work, from the Complutense University of Madrid.[3] She also has a master's degree in migrations and intercommunal relations from the Autonomous University of Madrid.[4]
Human rights activism
editGalán joined the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) in 1999 and became its director general in 2011.[3] In August 2013, she and Javier Galparsoro, the organisation's president in the Basque Country, took part on Atrapa un millón, the Spanish version of The Million Pound Drop; they gave their €20,000 winning to the charity, that was at risk of dissolution.[5]
During the 2015 European migrant crisis, Galán blamed the European Union for making migration difficult, thereby purportedly enriching human traffickers.[6] In 2017, she criticised the nations of the European Union for not meeting their targets for accommodating refugees.[7] The following year, she criticised Spain's lack of preparedness for giving asylum to the passengers of the migrant boat Aquarius, rejected by Italy.[8]
Political career
editIn March 2024, Galán was confirmed as the lead candidate for Sumar in the 2024 European Parliament election in Spain.[4] She criticised the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) for their support of the European migration pact, believing it to have conceded to right-wing governments such as Italy and Hungary.[9] During an electoral debate, she showed a photograph of Vox leader Santiago Abascal with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called the latter a genocidaire.[10] Galán put forward that Sumar had led the Spanish government's decision to recognise the State of Palestine, and she also called for severing diplomatic ties with Israel.[11] Sumar took under 5% of the vote and three seats in the European Parliament, including Galán's. She lamented the results and the gains for the far-right.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Estrella GALÁN". European Parliament. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Fernández, Juan (1 September 2018). "Estrella Galán: "Es perverso atribuir al 'Aquarius' un 'efecto llamada'"" [Estrella Galán: "It's perverse to attribute a 'pull factor' to the 'Aquarius']. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b Omedes, Elena (24 May 2024). "Estrella Galán, los primeros pasos políticos de una veterana en derechos humanos" [Estrella Galán, the first political steps of a human rights veteran]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b Gil, Andrés (19 March 2024). "Estrella Galán, directora general de CEAR, será la número 1 de Sumar para las elecciones europeas" [Estrella Galán, director general of CEAR, will be Sumar's number 1 for the European elections]. elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "La Comisión de Ayuda al Refugiado "atrapa" 20.000 euros en un concurso de televisión" [Commission for Refugee Aid "traps" 20,000 euros on a television game show]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 19 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Barbarroja, Cristina S. (30 August 2015). "Estrella Galán (CEAR): "Son las políticas de Europa las que alimentan a las mafias"" [Estrella Galán (CEAR): "Europe's policies feed the mafia"]. Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Vargas, Jairo (25 September 2017). ""El acuerdo europeo para acoger a los refugiados era muy fácil de incumplir"" ["The European agreement to accommodate refugees was very easy to not abide by"]. Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sanmartín, Olga R.; Álvarez, Rafael J. (13 June 2018). "Caso Aquarius: las ONG denuncian que "el sistema de acogida no está adaptado para la improvisación"" [Aquarius case: NGOs denounce that "the asylum system is not prepared for improvisation"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sánchez, José Manuel (1 June 2024). "Estrella Galán: "El pacto migratorio deja a España en un lugar muy delicado"" [Estrella Galán: "The migration pact leaves Spain in a very delicate place"]. HuffPost (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Ordax, Aitor (3 June 2024). "La inmigración, el gasto militar y el auge ultra centran el debate europeo de la SER entre los seis principales candidatos del 9-J" [Immigration, military spending and the rise of the far right are the focus of SER's European debate between the six main candidates for the 9 June elections] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "9J- Sumar destaca su papel para reconocer a Palestina, presionará para romper con Israel y apoya a Díaz tras sus ataques" [9 June elections- Sumar highlights its role in the recognition of Palestine, will put pressure on breaking with Israel and supports Díaz after her attacks] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "¿Dónde estaba Yolanda Díaz? La imagen de la noche: Estrella Galán sola tras los malos resultados de Sumar" [Where was Yolanda Díaz? The image of the night: Estrella Galán alone after Sumar's bad results] (in Spanish). Onda Cero. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.