The Government accuses Junts of using TV3 as a throwing weapon

BarcelonaFor the second day in a row, public media have entered the debate of the Parliament. On the eighth anniversary of the 1-O referendum, Junts MP Agustí Colomines stated that the repression of that time "has now been transformed into a soft denationalization." A "paradigmatic" example of this denationalization – for which the Catalan government is held responsible – is the situation of TV3, according to the Junts members, which in recent days has raised a storm due to changes in brand and the premiere of programs such as Bestial. For the executive, Junts "is wrong" to direct its criticism at the government, and criticizes the pro-independence party for using public media "as a throwing weapon."

"Is this the topic they've found to oppose the first plenary session after returning to the Parliament [after the summer]?" asked the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, in surprise, who pointed out that public media "depends on the Parliament and not the Government." For this reason, Dalmau criticized Junts for focusing on TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio: "Until now, only the PP and Vox had asked me about public media in this plenary session," the minister said.

One of Junts' criticisms is the change of brands (for example, from 3/24 to 3CatInfo). Colomines stated that it is not within the jurisdiction of the president of the CCMA, Rosa Romà, to make these changes. Earlier this morning, Romà said in an interview on public radio that the TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio brands "are more alive and have more value than ever" and assured that they will not disappear. The president of the public broadcaster also addressed criticisms of Spanish-ization, stating that they are producing "new, high-quality Catalan content that is connecting with audiences."

Overhanging this debate is the replacement of three members of the CCMA's governing council, which is required by law this year. The Corporation believes that the initiative corresponds to Parliament, and it is unclear who the replacements should be. When the current public media government was elected, the PSC, ERC, and Junts had roughly the same number of seats, while now the Socialists are the leading force with 42, the Junts are second with 35, and ERC has 20 deputies, half of what the PSC has.

Accounts notice

In the control session on Tuesday with the president, Salvador Illa, The budgets did not plan at any time on the debate, but this Wednesday, the ERC (Republican Socialist Workers' Party) issued a forceful warning from the plenary session to the Catalan and Spanish governments. The PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), with the support of left-wing parties, approved a decree on the expansion of the Catalan Tax Agency, but Republican MP Albert Salvadó warned that "until the issue of tax collection and the new financing model are resolved," they will not negotiate "new budgets," either here or in Madrid. Therefore, he urged the Socialists to approve the bill registered in Congress "to enable the Generalitat to collect personal income tax" in full, some 30 billion euros, and to specify the new financing model. Because if the Socialists "do not fulfill their commitments, they will have great difficulty governing," Salvadó warned.

The study commission on fascism has been approved.

Wednesday's plenary session also debated the creation of a study commission on fascism, racism, and hate speech, which will be dedicated to discussing these issues and how to combat them. The proposal was approved with the votes of all parties except the PP, Vox, and Aliança Catalana, who voted against.

The Socialists defended "the ethical and democratic obligation to act" against hate speech, according to the group's president, Elena Díaz. From ERC, Tània Verge emphasized that the commission, beyond hate speech, should also address "anti-feminism, LGBTI-phobia, and racism." Andrés García Berrio, from Comuns, recalled that "not everything is a hate crime," and in the same vein, Xavier Pellicer, from the CUP, pointed out that "hate crimes cannot be applied to activists." For their part, the regional council members have also broadened their focus to include Spain's "supremacist ideology," according to MP Francisco de Dalmases. Both the Popular Party and both far-right groups criticized the alleged "censorship," even calling it an "Inquisition."