| Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca | |
| Birth Date: | 1945 5, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Barcelona, Spain |
| Party: | Vox (2014–2015) |
| Otherparty: | People's Alliance (1983–1989) People's Party (1989–2014) |
| Office1: | First Vice-President of the European Parliament |
| President1: | Josep Borrell |
| Term Start1: | 30 July 2004 |
| Term End1: | 16 January 2007 |
| Predecessor1: | Office established |
| Successor1: | Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou |
| Office2: | Member of the European Parliament for Spain |
| Term Start2: | 13 June 1999 |
| Term End2: | 1 July 2014 |
| Office3: | Member of the Senate |
| Constituency3: | Parliament of Catalonia |
| Term Start3: | 29 June 1996 |
| Term End3: | 28 August 1999 |
| Office4: | President of the People's Party of Catalonia |
| Term Start4: | 9 January 1991 |
| Term End4: | 28 September 1996 |
| Predecessor4: | Jorge Fernández Díaz |
| Successor4: | Alberto Fernández Díaz |
| Office5: | Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for Barcelona |
| Term Start5: | 29 May 1988 |
| Term End5: | 25 August 1996 |
| Office6: | Member of the Barcelona City Council |
| Term Start6: | 10 June 1987 |
| Term End6: | 26 May 1991 |
| Birth Name: | Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca |
Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca (born 20 May 1945) is a Spanish former politician and radiation physicist. Born in Barcelona, he served as a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014 and served as First Vice President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007.
Vidal-Quadras was elected on the People's Party ticket and sat with the European People's Party group. In 2014, he announced that he was leaving the People's Party for a new party, Vox. He was the frontrunner for Vox in the 2014 European election, but the party failed to win a seat. He is a member of the European Friends of Israel, a lobby group aiming to defend Israel's interests within the European Union.[1]
In 2013 EL Pais reported that 35 Iranian dissidents said to be affiliated to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gave VOX about one million euros. According to Vidal-Quadras, the donations were not made to VOX but to himself.[2]
After 2014, Vidal-Quadras operated Latin: pro bono the International Committee in Search of Justice, a Brussels-based lobby supporting the NCRI against the Iranian government.[3] [4]
Vidal-Quadras has aligned with People's Mojahedin of Iran, which led the Iranian Foreign Ministry to impose sanctions on him in 2023. The Iran Foreign Ministry accused Vidal-Quadras of "supporting terrorism and terrorist groups" while Maryam Rajavi said that "Prof. Vidal-Quadras has dedicated an important part of his life to fight against [Iran's ruling religious fascism]".
On 9 November 2023, Vidal-Quadras was shot in the face in Madrid[5] by a person on a motorbike in at 1:30 p.m. local time.[6] [7] He was taken to hospital and was described as recovering after suffering a fracture on his jawbone that required surgery.[6] The assassination attempt is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack.[8] [9] On November 21, Spanish police arrested three people in connection to the shooting.[10]
Vidal-Quadras has claimed that Iran was behind the attempted assassination.[11] According to Vidal-Quadras, his connection to the Iranian opposition the National Council of Resistance of Iran could be linked the assassination attempt.[12] Vidal-Quadras is one of the first politicians that Tehran has added to their terrorist list.[13] The Iranian opposition attributes the authorship to Religious Fascism that governs the country.[14] [15]
In 2019 Vidal-Quadras stated that he considers the Iranian regime a cruel dictatorship which foments terrorism.[16] He is the first European politician to be targeted within Europe.[17]
In January 2024, a suspect in the assassination attempt was arrested in Colombia. Currently four individuals have been arrested in connection with the shooting, while the alleged shooter, a French citizen of Tunisian descent with multiple prior convictions in France, is still at large.
Also Vidal-Quadras called for a change in the EU policy towards the Islamic Republic to avoid trying to "appease, to negotiate, to dialogue and to make concessions".[18]
Alejo Vidal-Quadras defines himself as liberal-conservative. He is opposed to abortion rights[19] and gay marriage.
He currently lives off his pensions as a former university professor and a former member of the European Parliament.[3] In addition to serving in the European Parliament, he has occupied several elected positions in Spain: he was a member of the Barcelona City Council (1987–1991), member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1988–1996) and Senator in the Spanish Senate (1996–1999).