Catalan separatists react against the king's speech
The pro-independence parties recall their support for the repression on October 1st.
BarcelonaKing Felipe VI's call to preserve "democratic coexistence" The King's traditional Christmas Eve address, which addressed "extremism, radicalism, and populism," has been strongly refuted by pro-independence parties. During the floral tribute at the tomb of former president Francesc Macià, who died on Christmas Day in 1933, the pro-independence groups questioned the monarch's conciliatory tone. The Secretary General of Junts, Jordi Turull, deemed it "surreal" that Felipe VI would appeal in his traditional Christmas speech to eliminate extremism when he himself was "the most extremist and the most radical against democratic coexistence" in the lead-up to the referendum of June 1st. He recalled that Felipe VI appealed to a judicial "go after them" approach, asserted that the king has "zero credibility," and encouraged following, instead, the legacies of the former president of the Generalitat and of Pompeu Fabra, whose death anniversary is also commemorated today. Finally, he urged the pro-independence movement to unite in the face of the "weakness of the State" and achieve "the maximum for Catalonia."
Along the same lines, the president of Esquerra Republicana (ERC), Oriol Junqueras, denounced that "the Spanish head of state is one of the few in Europe who advocates violence and applauds and encourages the beating of democrats who went to vote." The ERC leader wanted to convey a "message of hope," stating that the Republicans will know how to "work and fight so that Catalonia has ever more strength, more resources, and more powers to put them at the service of health, transportation, and housing."
The CUP criticized King Felipe VI for praising the "false democratic transition" in his Christmas speech because "the Bourbon family, enemies of Catalonia," has been "heir to Francoism." Deputy Dani Cornellà stated that, precisely, "the regime has continued to live on" with the monarchy, citing as an example the King's speech after the October 1st referendum in which he "justified a violence against our country that is historical and represents the worst of Spain." In contrast, Cornellà appealed to the legacy of Macià "as an example to follow." "Like him, we believe that no one can stop a people who are fully aware of their rights," the CUP deputy affirmed.
Isla defends "a Catalonia of coexistence that welcomes and integrates everyone"
President Salvador Illa made no mention of the King's speech and called for working towards "a Catalonia of coexistence that welcomes and integrates everyone" amidst the controversy surrounding the eviction of migrants from Badalona, carried out by the mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia-Albiol. Illa recalled the work of the former president of the Catalan government, carried out "in turbulent times of change," and emphasized that we are currently experiencing "fundamental, profound, and sometimes very rapid changes." In this regard, he considered that Macià's work "should serve as an example and a guide."
The Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Josep Rull, for his part, did not overlook the fact that Macià suffered exile and jumped to the present to emphasize that the Parliament has not yet recovered "normality" because of its 135 members, "two remain in exile," referring to Carles Puigdemont and Lluís Puig. "We will not exhaust all our efforts in demanding that normality be restored," he reiterated.