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Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca (born 20 May 1945) is a Spanish former politician and radiation physicist. Born in Barcelona, he served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014 and served as First Vice President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca | |
|---|---|
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| First Vice-President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 30 July 2004 – 16 January 2007 | |
| President | Josep Borrell |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou |
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain | |
| In office 13 June 1999 – 1 July 2014 | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 29 June 1996 – 28 August 1999 | |
| Constituency | Parliament of Catalonia |
| President of the People's Party of Catalonia | |
| In office 9 January 1991 – 28 September 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Fernández Díaz |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Fernández Díaz |
| Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for Barcelona | |
| In office 29 May 1988 – 25 August 1996 | |
| Member of the Barcelona City Council | |
| In office 10 June 1987 – 26 May 1991 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca 20 May 1945 Barcelona, Spain |
| Political party | Vox (2014–2015) |
| Other political affiliations | People's Alliance (1983–1989) People's Party (1989–2014) |
Career
editVidal-Quadras was elected on the People's Party ticket and sat with the European People's Party group. In 2014, he announced that he was leaving the People's Party for a new party, Vox. He was the frontrunner for Vox in the 2014 European election, but the party failed to win a seat. He is a member of the European Friends of Israel, a lobby group aiming to defend Israel's interests within the European Union.[1]
Relationship with Iran
editIn 2013 EL Pais reported that 35 Iranian dissidents said to be affiliated to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gave VOX about one million euros. According to Vidal-Quadras, the donations were not made to VOX but to himself.[2]
After 2014, Vidal-Quadras operated pro bono the International Committee in Search of Justice, a Brussels-based lobby supporting the NCRI against the Iranian government.[3][4]
Vidal-Quadras has aligned with People's Mojahedin of Iran, which led the Iranian Foreign Ministry to impose sanctions on him in 2023. The Iran Foreign Ministry accused Vidal-Quadras of "supporting terrorism and terrorist groups" while Maryam Rajavi said that "Prof. Vidal-Quadras has dedicated an important part of his life to fight against [Iran's ruling religious fascism]".[5]
Attempted assassination
editOn 9 November 2023, Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in Madrid[6] by a person on a motorbike in Calle de Núñez de Balboa at 1:30 p.m. local time.[5][7] He was taken to hospital and was described as recovering after suffering a fracture on his jawbone that required surgery.[5] The assassination attempt is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack.[8][9] On November 21, Spanish police arrested three people in connection to the shooting.[10]
Vidal-Quadras has claimed that Iran was behind the attempted assassination.[11] According to Vidal-Quadras, his connection to the Iranian opposition the National Council of Resistance of Iran could be linked the assassination attempt.[12] Vidal-Quadras is one of the first politicians that Tehran has added to their terrorist list.[13] The Iranian opposition attributes the authorship to Religious Fascism that governs the country.[14][15]
In 2019 Vidal-Quadras stated that he considers the Iranian regime a cruel dictatorship which foments terrorism.[16] He is the first European politician to be targeted within Europe.[17]
Aftermath
editIn January 2024, a suspect in the assassination attempt was arrested in Colombia. Currently four individuals have been arrested in connection with the shooting, while the alleged shooter, a French citizen of Tunisian descent with multiple prior convictions in France, is still at large.
Also Vidal-Quadras called for a change in the EU policy towards the Islamic Republic to avoid trying to "appease, to negotiate, to dialogue and to make concessions".[18]
Political positions
editAlejo Vidal-Quadras defines himself as liberal-conservative. He is opposed to abortion rights[19] and gay marriage.
Personal life
editHe currently lives off his pensions as a former university professor and a former member of the European Parliament.[3] In addition to serving in the European Parliament, he has occupied several elected positions in Spain: he was a member of the Barcelona City Council (1987–1991), member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1988–1996) and Senator in the Spanish Senate (1996–1999).
Books about politics
edit- "Cuestión de fondo" (Editorial Montesinos, 1993)
- "Amarás a tu tribu" (Editorial Planeta, 1998)
- "Ahora, cambio de rumbo" (Editorial Planeta, 2012)
References
edit- ^ "Políticos españoles se unen al movimiento más poderoso de Amigos Europeos por Israel". 3 December 2017.
- ^ Irujo, José María; Gil, Joaquín (11 November 2023). "La carpeta secreta de Vidal-Quadras con los donantes iraníes de Vox". El País (in Spanish).
- ^ a b Suanzes, Pablo R. (23 January 2019). "Alejo Vidal-Quadras, fundador de Vox: "Abascal sabía que el dinero era iraní y le parecía muy bien"". ELMUNDO (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "The Committee". International Committee In Search of Justice. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
PRESIDENT Alejo Vidal Quadras
- ^ a b c "Spanish conservative politician shot in face in Madrid. Gunman escaped on a motorbike, reports say". AP News. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ Fahey, Ryan (2023-11-09). "Politician shot in the face in busy city centre by brazen gunman on motorbike". The Mirror. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Herido grave en Madrid Alejo Vidal-Quadras, ex presidente del PP de Cataluña y fundador de VOX, tras recibir un disparo en la cara". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Attempted murder of right wing Spanish politician being investigated as "terrorist" incident". Politico. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "La Audiencia Nacional investiga el disparo a Vidal-Quadras como un delito de terrorismo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Three arrested over shooting of former rightwing politician in Madrid". The Guardian.
- ^ "La Policía investiga si Irán está tras el intento de asesinato a Vidal-Quadras". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "Vidal-Quadras y otros dos políticos españoles están en la "lista de terroristas" del régimen de Irán por apoyar el CNRI". ELECONOMISTA (in Spanish). 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ "Intento de asesinato a Vidal-Quadras: la sospecha iraní, un pistolero "profesional" y un giro de cuello que le pudo salvar la vida". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ "Conference at the European Parliament, Strasbourg". Maryam Rajavi. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ "Spanish far-right politician shot in the face suspects a link to his work with Iranian opposition". AP News. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ "Po que Vidal-Quadras responsibiliza a Iran del disparo sufrido en Madrid?". 20MINUTOS (in Spanish). 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ David Maddox. "Top EU politician who survived Iran assassination plot delivers 'end appeasement' plea to Cameron". Independent.
- ^ Spanish politician shot in Madrid points finger at Iran | Reuters
- ^ "Vidal-Quadras acusa a los socialistas de destruir con su política del aborto". www.larazon.es. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
