MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The founding congress of the new Spanish far-right Respeto (Respect) party has been held in northeastern city of Tarragona, local media reported Saturday.
According to e-Noticies portal, the establishment of the new political force comprising Plataforma per Catalunya (Platform for Catalonia), Espana 2000 (Spain 2000) and Partido por la Libertad (Party for Freedom), was supported by the German anti-immigration Pegida movement that was represented at the congress by one of its leaders, Tatjana Festerling.
Rafael Ripoll, the leader of Espana 2000, was elected president of the new party and told reporters that Respeto aims to defend "national sovereignty of Spain, identity and rights of the middle and working class."
The media added that at the same time a major antifascist demonstration gathered several hundreds of supporters near the hotel where Respeto's founding congress was held.
