An anti-fascist demonstration protests against the Save Europe Act in Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona

BarcelonaPlaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona has become this Saturday the scene of a double mobilization of opposing signs. On the one hand, the far-right group Save Europe Act has chosen the Catalan capital for its first stop in Spain with a rally called for 7 p.m. In response to this call, collectives such as the Antifascist Coordinator of Barcelona and Som Antifeixistes have called to "stand up to them" with a counter-demonstration at the same location, which began an hour earlier, at 6 p.m.

The antifascist counter-demonstration began in Plaça Sant Jaume with a strong police presence, as a result of the increased deployment announced by the Government this Friday. During the rally, hundreds of demonstrators shouted slogans against the administrations, combining Catalan and Spanish. "We have asked the administrations to prevent an act of white supremacism and a hate crime from being perpetrated in Barcelona; it is not freedom of expression," stated David Minoves, spokesperson for Unit Against Fascism and Racism, this Saturday. Minoves has framed the Save Europe Act rally as "a tour by the far-right to express messages of hate with total freedom" and has blamed institutions for "not being able to see it".

The parties' reaction

The arrival of this mobilization has generated broad institutional and political rejection. From the Barcelona City Council, they wanted to distance themselves from the event, warning that the demonstration "is not welcome" in the city, especially after the controversy generated by the erroneous publication of the call on the municipal portal. Likewise, parties such as ERC and the CUP have demanded its direct prohibition: the Republican general secretary, Elisenda Alamany, warned the PSC this Friday that "there are no excuses" for not prohibiting it, while the CUP members have accused Salvador Illa's executive this Saturday of making "great fiery speeches" but allowing the concentration in the streets.

In this context, the Government recalled that the right to demonstrate "is not absolute" and warned that it will bring any incitement to hatred or discrimination to the Prosecutor's Office. In order to supervise this, the Generalitat announced a reinforcement of the police deployment of the Mossos d'Esquadra to audit the course of the concentration.