Minister Bolaño responds to the attack on Catalan by the government of Aragon

Allow me, to begin, to express the pride and satisfaction, as someone would say, that a day as well celebrated as yesterday's Sant Jordi provokes. We can congratulate ourselves. We can congratulate ourselves.We know Regina well, at ARA, especially the newspaper's audiovisual team, of which she was a part. Regina, more than connecting with readers' tastes, has connected with readers' hearts, and such a phenomenon is unbeatable. Regina conveys truth. Added to this is the mastery of fresh and fun narrative technique, the result is yesterday's: number 1. This morning I spoke with her and she told me she was happy, for among other reasons, because it was also the triumph of humor in Catalan. has connected with readers' hearts, and such a phenomenon is unbeatable. Regina conveys truth. Added to this is the mastery of fresh and fun narrative technique, the result is yesterday's: number 1. This morning I spoke with her and she told me she was happy, for among other reasons, because it was also the triumph of humor in Catalan.

And congratulations also to Òscar Andreu for his more than recommendable Manual de defensa del catalán, based on a monologue as funny as it is devastating.

Speaking of language. You will recall that yesterday we criticized the PP-Vox pact in Aragon, which includes attacking the people of the Franja and their language, Catalan. Yesterday we asked ourselves what the Spanish government said. Well, as one must be careful what one wishes for, because it can come true, yesterday afternoon I happened to meet Minister Bolaño. And I asked him. It was on TV3, on the program La selva.

Antoni Bassas: Precisely speaking of the pacts that PP and Vox have closed in Aragon: one of the things they have agreed on, and I quote literally, is to "free Aragon from Catalan". You know that there is a Franja of Catalan speakers who have spoken Catalan for centuries, but who are administratively Aragonese. Does the Spanish government have a position on this intention?

Félix Bolaños: Of course. Firstly, we believe it is an agreement that gratuitously attacks Catalonia and its language, which is Catalan. Indeed, Catalan is spoken in La Franja. Perhaps the Spanish right and far-right do not like it, but Catalan is spoken in La Franja, just as it is spoken in other autonomous communities in our country. There are 10 million people in Spain who speak Catalan, and it is not only our obligation, as public officials, to protect them, but we also have the obligation to protect Catalan. What is this pact really signifying? What is this about freeing Aragon from Catalan? It is an atavistic thing in the Spanish right and far-right. A very deep thing, very rooted in the Spanish right and far-right: attacking Catalonia, attacking the Catalan language, and unnecessarily attacking the people of Catalonia. Because I don't think suppressing the Aragonese Institute of the Catalan Language should mean anything, beyond a gratuitous attack on Catalonia and its language.Sounds good. The PSOE knows how to read the situation and adapt to it, especially when it knows that in Catalonia it can find the votes it lacks to maintain a super-fragile majority. I saw the minister very determined to hold on until next year and to beat Feijóo.The truth is that Pedro Sánchez has found an advantage in direct confrontation to stay ahead of the news, to set the agenda, and to force others to be reactive. And when I say others, I mean from Donald Trump downwards. Look at this morning's news.An internal Pentagon email proposes suspending Spain from NATO, among other proposals, to punish countries that have not supported American operations in the war with Iran. Pedro Sánchez has already replied this morning that Spain is a reliable partner and is always with international legality. He said it calmly and smiling.Good morning.