The former president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, and the Olympic athlete from Extremadura and recent Extremadura Medal winner, Álvaro Martín Uriol, have been involved in an exchange of accusations regarding the athlete’s tax residence, generating a controversy that has provoked multiple reactions on the social network X (previously known as Twitter).
Origin of the controversy
It all began during the institutional event for Extremadura Day on September 8, when Álvaro Martín Uriol, gold medalist at the Paris Olympic Games, took advantage of his speech to publicly criticize Rodríguez Ibarra for choosing, during his time as president of the Junta de Extremadura, that date to celebrate the Day of the region, based on a reason that the former president himself described as “caciquism.”
“Mr. Rodríguez Ibarra, I am sorry to say that I did not like your words when, on our public television, you acknowledged that Extremadura Day, September 8, was a ‘cacique act of my own’ in your own words, because Extremadura Day could have been May 21, like the day on which the Assembly of Extremadura met for the first time, or what we believe could have been March 25, in commemoration of the greatest temporary success of a peasant revolution without bloodshed.”
Thirteen days later, Rodríguez Ibarra responded with a statement during an event of the PSOE of Extremadura in Miajadas. In a message aimed at both the athlete and other award winners, the former president pointed out that several of the winners of the Medal of Extremadura do not pay their taxes in the region.
“Except for Guardiola and the nun from Plasencia, none of those who spoke that day pay their taxes in Extremadura, none of them. And it’s not because they left with nothing, for which I have all the respect, they left to progress more themselves and not make the effort here so that we could all progress more.”
Reactions on social media
This statement has provoked an immediate reaction from Álvaro Martín Uriol, who, through the social network X, has demanded a public apology and has denied the accusations of the former president, accompanying his message with a certificate of being up to date with payments to the Treasury of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura.
It seems very bad and very ugly to me that, while he is attacking the @PSOE (which I will not evaluate), used a LIE as a throwing weapon.
I am registered in Llerena and I pay my taxes in Extremadura.
Mr. Ibarra, I demand an apology for trying to tarnish my name. @psoeex pic.twitter.com/0v5Rrp01wt
— Alvaro Martin Uriol (@Alvaroatletismo) September 21, 2024
The exchange of statements has not taken long to attract political support for the athlete from different parties. The president of the Junta de Extremadura, María Guardiola, has spoken out in defence of the athlete and has harshly criticised Rodríguez Ibarra’s words, which she has described as an “institutional offence”.
“Respect. No Extremaduran has to apologize for having had success in our region or outside of it. The targeting of those awarded the Medal of Extremadura at a PSOE event is an institutional offense.”
Irene de Miguel, spokesperson for Unidas por Extremadura, has also joined in the criticism. “Mr. Ibarra has been causing more pity than fear for a long time. I fully support Álvaro Martín. The applause of the Extremaduran citizens for your denunciation of his cacique behavior clearly hurt him, but the fact is that Extremadura no longer wants any more caciques,” has expressed on social media.
