VOX launches Disenso Foundation to wage cultural battle

Disenso: VOX's foundation aiming to win the cultural war

VOX has launched its new foundation, Disenso, a project designed to challenge the left in the cultural sphere. Santiago Abascal's party takes another step in its social entrenchment strategy with an entity explicitly created to defend freedom, equality, and Spanish sovereignty against what it perceives as dominant single-thought ideology. The announcement, shared via social media, has triggered intense debate regarding its funding, membership, and true purpose.

What is the Disenso Foundation and who runs it?

The Disenso Foundation presents itself as a platform for alternative thinking. Its board and collaborators include prominent figures from journalism and culture, such as Fernando Sánchez Dragó, writer and doctor of Letters, and Amando de Miguel, emeritus professor of Sociology. It also includes Francisco José Contreras, professor of Philosophy of Law and VOX MP for Seville. The foundation defines itself as a space for dissent against political correctness, which it claims acts as a gag order.

Funding and criticism: Another subsidized structure?

One of the initial reactions was suspicion regarding its economic model. Some question whether Disenso will rely on public subsidies, a common critique leveled at foundations linked to political parties. Comparisons with feminist or left-wing organizations have been frequent in comments, accusing VOX of creating a structure to receive public funds while criticizing those very practices. The controversy over using public money for partisan ends returns to the center of the debate.

Member profiles: Sánchez Dragó and controversies

The inclusion of Fernando Sánchez Dragó has generated particular controversy. Past statements by the writer, in which he described himself as a pedophile, have been recalled, provoking rejection. The presence of a figure with that history in a foundation claiming to defend freedom and equality has been labeled hypocritical by some sectors. This controversy has become one of the main axes of questioning toward the project.

VOX's strategy: Occupying civil society

Beyond the criticism, some interpret Disenso as a strategic move to shield VOX. Expansion into civil society would complicate any hypothetical ban on the party, according to some analyses. It is noted that the left, by delegitimizing the Transition, handed the right and VOX a discourse defending the Constitution and Spanish unity, which they now capitalize on. The foundation would be an instrument for this long-term cultural battle.

The myth of the Catalan 9/11: Disenso's new commemoration

The foundation has launched a campaign to dismantle the separatist narrative surrounding September 11, 1714. Through tweets, it argues that Convergència and its successors turned the Diada into an exclusionary and anti-Spanish holiday. With this initiative, Disenso seeks to rewrite historical narratives and contest symbolic ground in Catalonia, a move fitting its goal of combating separatism through culture.

Reactions and future outlook

The announcement has polarized public opinion. While some see Disenso as a necessary initiative to counter dominant single-thought ideology, others consider it just another maneuver to receive subsidies and amplify an exclusionary discourse. The foundation has already begun publishing content and positioning itself on issues like Catalan separatism. Its evolution will depend on its ability to influence public debate and how it manages criticisms regarding its funding and members.