Fact-checking the far-right's falsehoods in the general policy debate

BarcelonaVox and the Catalan Alliance have focused on immigration, security, and fiscal policy in the general policy debate. These are the topics typically debated by the two far-right parties in the Parliament, and the other parties have—with some disagreements—applied to them. a cordon sanitaire to try to limit the scope of their proposals and prevent the parliamentary platform from becoming a platform for hate speech. We at ARA have analyzed the speeches of their leaders in Parliament, Ignacio Garriga and Sílvia Orriols, to detect the false information they both provided throughout the debate.

Taxes

Regarding taxes, Garriga has accused Salvador Illa's government of having "created" new taxes and increased the tax burden on "ordinary Catalans." "They are increasing the tax burden on Catalans to pay for the multicultural festival," Orriols added. However, in its first year in office, the Socialist government has not created any new regional taxes. In fact, it approved a reduction in the personal income tax rate for the lowest bracket—which went from 10.5% to 9.5%—to bring it in line with other autonomous communities. This change affects incomes under €35,000, which accounts for 63% of the total. Furthermore, it increased the deduction from €400 to €500 for the deduction for renting a primary residence.

It's the Catalans who pay the most personal income tax, as Garriga put it? According to a report by Overview of regional and regional taxation, signed by the Registry of Tax Advisory Economists, Catalonia is the region with the highest personal income tax, but only for incomes between 30,000 and 40,000 euros. Beyond income other than salary (for example, income from property or financial assets), it's worth remembering that the average gross salary in Catalonia is 29,978 euros, according to data from Idescat.

What the Government did agree on with Comuns There were tax increases on real estate sales In order to prevent speculation, a decree-law was passed to modify the property transfer tax so that buyers of apartments worth more than 900,000 euros and large property owners pay more than others.

Security

"Catalonia is the leader in murders and rapes," Orriols said. As for homicides, according to the crime report for the second half of 2025 According to the Ministry of the Interior, the region with the most homicides and attempted homicides was Andalusia (with 46 and 153, respectively), and the second was Catalonia (24 and 131, respectively). However, it should be noted that these are the two most populated regions and the only ones with over 8 million inhabitants. In sexual assaults, Catalonia did lead the way, with 2,321, ahead of Andalusia (1,517).

Garriga also insisted that rapes have increased by "500%" and that crime is "skyrocketing." The first figure is not true: Penetrative rapes have increased by 22% the first six months of 2025. However, police sources consulted by ARA when these data were made public attributed this increase not to more assaults, but to more reports, partly thanks to the support victims now receive. On the other hand, Catalonia reached a record crime rate in 2024, but this year criminal acts have fallen by 4.18% nationwide. Specifically, robberies with violence fell by 13%; thefts by 5%; and occupations by 11.4% – however, Catalonia remains the autonomous region that leads the ranking of employment in the State: it represents 40%, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior.

It's also not true, as Garriga has said, that there are neighborhoods, such as Font de la Pólvora (Girona), Campclar (Tarragona), or Cerdanyola (Mataró), where the Mossos d'Esquadra cannot enter. This is corroborated by sources from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Argentine Police). What they do do, they add, is modulate the intervention at each moment in situations of conflict, seeking interlocutors or reinforcements as appropriate, to avoid risks. In conflict-ridden neighborhoods, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Argentine Police) work alongside social services, city councils, or local police to offer solutions to problems of coexistence, with the participation of the Catalan police mediation service.

Immigration

Both Vox and Aliança insist on linking the immigration debate to the crime debate. In an interview on RAC1, the Director General of the Police, Josep Lluís Trapero, presented the following data: 52% of the prison population is of foreign origin, while the percentage of foreign population living in Catalonia is 18%. If we compare the prison population (8,500 people) with the newcomers (1.7 million), the result is that only 0.3% of immigrants in Catalonia are in prison. "The immigration debate affects 333, while the crime debate affects 1," Trapero emphasized, warning that there are variables, such as socioeconomic status or educational level, with a much stronger correlation with crime.

On the other hand, Orriols has asserted that migrants come to Catalonia to "suck up" public resources. However, to access official assistance such as the Guaranteed Citizen Income (RGC), it is necessary to have papers and, in most cases, to have resided in Catalonia for several years—in the case of the Guaranteed Citizen Income (RGC), two years of uninterrupted residence. This is what means that, although the population of foreign origin has lower incomes than the Catalan population, they represent only 21.3% of RGC recipients, according to data from the Department of Social Rights. provided in Verified in a request for transparency. In fact, and as explained by the third social sector, most migrants who need help receive it through social entities, not directly from the public coffers. These entities insist on the urgency of modifying the immigration law, This forces migrants to remain in no man's land for about two years before allowing them to begin the process of obtaining residency papers.

Climate and Parliament

Garriga also linked the energy blackout in Spain to the government's climate policies and commitment to renewable energy. This claim has been denied by the European Network of Transmission System Operators. In a technical report, he confirmed to us that the blackout In Spain and Portugal on April 28th, it was a unique event in the world and was due to a "surge cascade" that began in the south of the state and spread throughout Spain and Portugal in just a few minutes.

On the other hand, and regarding parliamentary life, Orriols has stated that, if it were solely up to her, she would abolish subsidies to the groups. However, the Aliança group has not renounced these allocations (it receives 62,214 euros annually). "We have often been told that we do not participate. It is not true," Orriols said, a statement that drew laughter in the chamber. The two Aliança deputies They are usually absent from committees. The Aliança leader often justifies this by arguing that she must balance it with her role as mayor of Ripoll—although her salary comes from Parliament, not the city council—but the other MP, Rosa Maria Soberana, has no other position. For example, Aliança was the only one of the eight parliamentary groups that did not appear at a press conference on Wednesday to comment on the speech by the Speaker, Salvador Illa, after the plenary session ended.