POLITICAL PHOTOS OFFENDED
The Union of Valencian Journalists decided to cancel an exhibition of photographs in the “Illustration Museum” in Valencia after all the pictures having to do with anything political were removed by the Diputacion of Valencia.

The exhibition - Fragments of a Year 2009 – is the seventh time such a show had taken place, and was a collection of 91 colour pictures taken by some 38 professionals, reflecting what happened last year.

It was opened last week by Maximo Caturia - the former autonomous Culture Secretary - and Salvador Enguix, with both men telling the organisers they were not at all happy with certain aspects, especially pictures relating to the Gürtel case, and the following morning the Museum told the Union that ten pictures had been removed (Francisco Camps with the new Archbishop of Valencia, Jose Maria Aznar being named as Honoris Causa by Valencia University, Ricardo Costa in the Valencian Parliament, Ricardo Costa apparently in tears, Rita Barbera and Mr Camps showing signs of elation, Mrs Barbera helping Mr Camps into a car, Jorge Alarte with a Sikh, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at a political meeting, and two men sitting outside a bar).

Ximo Clemente, the President of the Union called the removal Censorship pure and simple . These are amongst the pictures that Caused offence:

However, the action of removing the pictures had completely the opposite effect of that desired, with the scandal hitting the headlines and the pictures reprinted for the whole world to see. And last Thursday the exhibition was reopened with all the 91 pictures hanging in place.

The censorship of removing the pictures was compared to the Cuban government´s refusal to not allow free speech, and the Valencian authorities felt obliged to swallow their pride and allow the display to be open to the public.

The organiser, Romà de la Calle, had resigned because of the censorship. During the second inaugural ceremony he said that if those responsible for removing the pictures do not resign, then there is something wrong and a smell of rot.

He went on to say he would only return to his old post of directing the MUVIM museum on two conditions; that the exhibition is reopened in its entirety and that the Minister for Economy and Tax, Máximo Caturla, who started the campaign to reject the pictures, resigns.