The PSN in Pamplona has presented a declaration advocating for "a free and uncensored culture," which will be discussed in the Citizens' Affairs Commission on 3 November. Socialist spokesperson Marina Curiel highlighted that the Constitution protects creative freedom, prohibits prior censorship, and mandates public authorities to ensure access to culture. She stated, "Culture is a right of citizenship and an essential public service. Creative freedom is not an ornament of democracy; it is one of its conditions."
This initiative is a response to a film funding order published on 9 October by the Culture Department of Castilla y León, led by the Vox party and supported by the Popular Party (PP). This order excludes projects deemed "ideological" from public funding and establishes a committee to assess their "ideological significance." Curiel warned that "this is not an isolated incident. In areas where the PP and Vox govern together, there have been cancellations of works, removals from programming, and ideological vetoes."
The declaration also supports a request made by the Ministry of Culture and expresses solidarity with audiovisual professionals affected by these changes. In contrast to the current model, Curiel advocates for "subsidies based on technical, public, and objective criteria." She urged the Culture Department to incorporate creative freedom and non-ideological interference as guiding principles in the Strategic Cultural Plan of Pamplona, ensuring that all funding calls and programming in municipal cultural spaces are evaluated by committees including sector professionals.
Curiel stated, "Institutions finance, facilitate, and guarantee culture, but they do not decide which ideas can or cannot be expressed." The socialists reminded that this Strategic Plan originated from a budget amendment by the Socialist Party and called for it to be completed before the end of 2026, with prior presentations to municipal groups and cultural agents. "We want a shared plan that paves the way for a stable Pact for Culture, transcending changes in government," she asserted.
The declaration also highlights the cultural prominence of the city, which hosted the Max Awards at the Gayarre Theatre in 2025 and will be the venue for the 41st Goya Awards at the Navarra Arena on 6 February 2027. In this context, the PSN "calls for collaboration with the Government of Navarra and the Film Academy to ensure that the Goya Awards include community programming in neighbourhoods, with film cycles and activities in Civivox, educational centres, and venues, leaving a lasting legacy." Curiel concluded, "Pamplona, which will soon be the capital of Spanish cinema, has the opportunity and responsibility to declare loud and clear: here, culture is supported, not censored."
