Madrid mayor to schoolkids: ¡°I¡¯d rather donate to Notre-Dame than the Amazon¡±

¡°If you could donate money, what would you donate it to, the Notre-Dame Cathedral or saving the Amazon?¡± That was the answer put to Madrid Mayor Jos¨¦ Luis Mart¨ªnez-Almeida during his appearance on Sunday in a regional TV show, where schoolchildren get to quiz celebrities about different topics.

Notre-Dame is a symbol of Europe. Joining the EU is one of the best things to have happened to Spain Jos¨¦ Luis Mart¨ªnez-Almeida

The answer from the Popular Party politician on Telemadrid¡¯s La vuelta al cole (or, Back to School), surprised his inquisitors and viewers alike. ¡°Notre-Dame Cathedral,¡± the new mayor of the Spanish capital replied. In the face of the children¡¯s shocked reaction, and their argument that the Amazon is ¡°the lungs of the planet,¡± he reiterated his choice: ¡°Notre-Dame is a symbol of Europe. [...] Joining the European Union is one of the best things to have ever happened to Spain.¡±

¡°Notre-Dame is more important than the Amazon.¡± Who said this: -A barfly drinking an Irish whisky in the local square -A contestant on Celebrity Big Brother -Sergio Ramos at a press conference. -[Journalist] Hermann Tertsch after a free bar at a wedding. No. Almeida, the mayor of Madrid.

The reply has since garnered a lot of attention on social media, including from the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau of the leftist Barcelona en Com¨² party.

¡°But whyyyyy?¡±

Another much-commented remark involved Mart¨ªnez-Almeida¡¯s views on the differences between the left-wing and right-wing of the political spectrum. He told the children that while the right tries to create an environment to let people become whomever they want to be, the left ¡°will want to make that decision for you.¡±

Madrid mayor: ¡°Notre-Dame is more important than the Amazon.¡± Life on Planet Earth:

The mayor of Madrid was also tested on his English, and performed surprisingly well. When students asked him what he thinks about fake news, and told him to reply ¡°in English, please,¡± the mayor delivered an extensive answer describing fake news as a danger to democracy. His response drew applause from students who had not thought he would be so fluent. ¡°I was expecting him to know some English, but not this much,¡± confided Daniella, one of the children on the show. ¡°I didn¡¯t think his pronunciation would be so good.¡±

English version by Susana Urra.