Rufián and the pointing out of the political adversary

BarcelonaThe spokesperson for ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, recited on Wednesday, one by one, from the rostrum, the names of all the Junts deputies who had voted against the decree on rent extensions. He did so with a 50-euro banknote unfolded on the lectern and after saying that it was Junts' only "flag." This public singling out was followed by an attempted assault on the Junts deputy and former mayor of Girona, Marta Madrenas, and the publication of false information on social networks suggesting that all Junts deputies had rental income from properties.

It is not the first time that Rufián has used singling-out techniques such as those habitually used by the far-right to poison coexistence, and in fact, he himself has been the target of attacks from the Junts environment, but this time limits have been crossed that should deserve general repulsion and the disavowal of his party. Because it is not true that these speeches that distill hatred towards the political adversary are harmless, as they always end up filtering into society and shaping a scheme of extreme polarization, of blacks and whites, which does not correspond to the Catalan reality, where grays are abundant.

Junts' votes on Wednesday can be perfectly criticized in the field of housing policy and, above all, against the investment consortium for Catalonia, of course, but always with personal and political respect for those who do not think like you. It seems that Rufián wants to import to Catalonia the political and social fracture that is experienced in Spain between left and right, ignoring that things here are significantly different. Junts' political tradition is not that of the PP, founded by a Francoist minister, nor that of Vox. It comes from the Convergència Democràtica of Jordi Pujol, a conservative leader who was imprisoned by Francoism and who always defended the principle of Catalonia as a single people, which is the backbone of Catalanism. It is not, therefore, a "racist" party, as Yolanda Díaz said, nor xenophobic.

In fact, Rufián should be aware that municipal pacts between ERC and Junts or between Junts and the PSC are not uncommon in Catalonia. Republicans and Junts supporters, for example, govern together in Girona (with the CUP) or in Valls. And this political climate of cooperation between Catalanist forces and those with an anti-Francoist tradition, which was not even broken during the most intense moments of the Procés, makes Catalonia a political ecosystem different from what is experienced in Madrid. And this, in a society as complex as Catalan society, is a treasure to be safeguarded.

There is no doubt that the Republican deputy is a reference for many on the left and a battering ram for the far-right, but precisely because of this, he should be more careful and more aware of his responsibility. And just as he has not shied away from self-criticism of the Procés, and has been brave in this regard, now what should be done is to recognize the mistake and apologize. Will he do it or will he insist on the spectacle?