Failure of the far-right rally in Barcelona that claimed white supremacy and the expulsion of immigrants

BarcelonaOnly about fifty members and sympathizers of the ultra group Save Europe Act attended their call this Saturday in Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona, a figure that contrasted with the approximately 200 demonstrators of the anti-fascist counter-demonstration. In this way, the scene of this double mobilization of opposite signs showed from the first moment the fizzle of the extreme right, which had chosen the Catalan capital for its first stop in Spain with a rally at 7 p.m. In response, collectives such as the Barcelona Anti-fascist Coordinator and Som Antifeixistes (We are Anti-fascist) had called to "face them" in the same place, starting an hour earlier, at 6 p.m.

The day began with a strong police presence, as a result of the reinforcement of the deployment announced by the Government this Friday. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) operation divided the square into two halves to separate the two collectives. Thanks to this police cordon, made up of about ten vans and forty officers, there was no direct confrontation between the anti-fascists and the ultra group at any time.

During the concentration on the anti-fascist side, the protesters 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. Minoves framed the Save Europe Act's call as "a tour by the far-right to express messages of hate with total freedom" and reproached institutions for "not being able to see it".

On the other side of the square, the approximately fifty Save Europe Act demonstrators were joined by movement organizers such as Toni Estévez, as well as Lucy White, the ultra group's ambassador to Great Britain, and Vox deputy Alberto Tarradas. During the event, the far-right protesters, with some difficulty, carried and unfurled a banner twenty meters long by twenty meters wide which read the message in English "Remigration saves Europe". The concentration was accompanied by slogans such as "Christian Spain and not Muslim", "Remigration against invasion" or "Deportation, by boat or by plane", and there were no shortage of chants against the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.

Although in front of the cameras the ultra group appeared satisfied with the development of the demonstration, the organizers themselves admitted to ARA that they already expected low participation: "We already expected this in Barcelona," they stated resignedly, "that's how it is." This lukewarmness in the turnout contrasted with the attitude of some of its leaders. Estévez, in fact, directly confronted the media present in the square, accusing them of "manipulating" information and of "doing everything possible to destroy Spain".

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, formations such as ERC and the CUP have directly demanded its prohibition: the Republican general secretary, Elisenda Alamany, warned the PSC this Friday that "there are no excuses" not to prohibit 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: "Barcelona cannot be the scene of hate and the far-right" affirmed the formation.

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 fact, Barcelona City Council announced this Saturday that it will bring racist and xenophobic messages expressed during the Save Europe Act rally to the prosecutor's office.