The far-right Vox recovers Fernando Paz as a reference after removing him for his controversies about the Holocaust

The far-right Vox has gone from removing Fernando Paz to contain a political crisis to publicly boasting about him as an important piece of its ideological framework. The party's delegation in the European Parliament responded this Friday to reports about the return of the former candidate for Albacete with a staunch defense of his work at the recent Patriots Campus held in Cáceres.

“Fernando Paz has done more than participate, he has been a fundamental part of the organization of the best edition of our Patriots Campus,” wrote the Vox Europa account, which accompanies the message with a video of the historian's intervention before the young attendees. Jorge Buxadé, head of the ultra delegation in the European Parliament, joined shortly after with another message of support. “Fernando Paz, yes, of course. LoPaís and its ‘phobias’, no,” he published.

A single “civilization” against “barbarism”

In the video disseminated by Vox, Paz argues that there are numerous cultures, but only one civilization, which in his opinion was born from the Gospel and the Western Christian tradition. Everything that deviates from that framework ends, according to his exposition, in “barbarism.”

“Only the West fully represents civilization, human dignity, and human freedom,” he states before the audience. The historian then speaks of a “barbarism that we are importing” and presents Spain as a “universal Rome” that brought Europeanization and Christianity to America.

His intervention fits with the line that the far-right has been placing at the center of its discourse on immigration, national identity, and cultural clash for months. Paz makes Western Christianity the measure of what is civilized and places entire societies and cultures outside that perimeter, an approach that the party has disseminated without nuances on its official channels.

The candidate that Vox withdrew in 2019

Fernando Paz was going to lead Vox's candidacy for Albacete in the general elections of April 2019. His signing fell through after several interventions on the Holocaust, the Franco dictatorship, and homosexuality came to light.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain then expressed its "concern" about statements it described as "revisionist and denialist." The organization recalled that Paz had questioned the murder of six million Jews, the racist nature of the extermination, and the use of gas chambers by the Nazi regime.

Much of the controversy stemmed from the presentation of one of his books at the Falange's Madrid headquarters in 2016. With a Francoist flag behind him, Paz questioned testimonies and evidence from the Nuremberg trials and stated that the process at times had "a certain air of farce."

The historian rejects being considered a denialist and maintains that he has always acknowledged that the Holocaust took place. However, he continues to attribute the criticism received to an "ideological and inquisitorial" persecution and maintains other positions that caused his political downfall.

Nor has he rectified his statements about homosexuality. During that campaign, he assured that, if a son of his were gay, he would try to "help him" because there are "therapies to redirect his psychology." In his most recent responses, he continues to defend that he would support that son if he decided to undergo one of those treatments.

The pressure ultimately led to his "irrevocable resignation" as head of the list. Vox then accepted his departure while trying to build relationships with the Jewish community, the Israeli right, and the Republican Party of the United States.

A return driven from Vox's hard core

Paz's recovery has occurred progressively and with the support of leaders close to Santiago Abascal. The historian maintains a close relationship with Kiko Méndez-Monasterio, a regular advisor to the president of the ultra-right party, and has shared discussions and political spaces for years with a good part of the party's current leadership.

Vox already presented it in July 2025 in an exhibition on the Valley of the Fallen organized in the European Parliament together with Buxadé and other party officials. Since then, he has gained presence as a collaborator of Ideas, the publication of the Disenso foundation, and is part of the honorary board of Denaes, an organization co-founded by Abascal.

In one of his latest articles, he has once again vindicated the "heroism" of the members of the Blue Division who fought alongside the Army of Nazi Germany during World War II. Paz states that their sacrifice contributed to Spain's independence and regrets that the country has not recognized their "epic generosity".

His presence at the Campus de Patriotas has not been an isolated appearance either. Vox now assures that he played a "fundamental" role in the organization of the youth meeting, moving away from any attempt to present him as a mere guest and making his participation a source of pride in the face of criticism.

Paz states that he currently collaborates with Vox without being a militant, although his role within the party's ecosystem is increasingly established. ISSEP Madrid already includes him as a History professor in its programs for the 2026-2027 academic year, along with leaders such as Buxadé, Rocío de Meer, Ignacio de Hoces, and José Antonio Fúster.