King Felipe VI, speaking from Hospitalet, defends immigration in the face of "sectarianism"

L'Hospitalet de LlobregatImmigration management is at the heart of Catalan and Spanish politics, in a debate shaped by the rise of the far-right Aliança Catalana and Vox parties. The King of Spain also plays a significant role, both in his institutional capacity and as the apparent arbiter he seeks to become after taking sides throughout the independence process. Felipe VI arrived in Catalonia on Monday to commemorate the centenary of Hospitalet de Llobregat being granted city status. From there, he sought to highlight the past waves of migration from the rest of Spain during the Franco regime, as well as the more recent influxes from Africa and Latin America, while denouncing "sectarianism." Around a hundred members of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and anti-monarchy protesters demonstrated against the visit, while a hundred or so monarchists participated in the carefully controlled welcome and greetings.

Accompanied at every step by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, who wore a khaki green tie—historically used by monarchists because of its acronym in Spanish for VERDE, meaning "long live the King of Spain"—the Head of State praised those "who are going" with lives "dedicated to their work" and "all those who have arrived later." From the Florida Market, home to the Florida 6.0 innovation center, he lauded "the diversity" found in cities, which he admitted "is not always easy to manage." The monarch considers it "a mirror of the times we live in," which he sees as "diverse and complex," but he called for "great doses of dialogue." Therefore, he stressed that "preconceived notions and sectarianism are bad advisors," concluding that "simple solutions are rarely lasting or based on solidarity."

King Felipe VI's speech included a brief section in Catalan, and he stumbled over several words, a stark contrast to his fluency on other occasions. He did, however, recall the grant of city status made by his great-grandfather, King Alfonso XIII, who in 1925 bestowed the title of city upon the town due to its rapid growth. Alfonso XIII is remembered for this gesture, but also for his support of the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera and for fleeing with his tail between his legs after the proclamation of the Republic in 1931. At the time of the city's designation, L'Hospitalet already had nearly 30,000 inhabitants, spurred by the arrival of people from Murcia in 1920 and almost 5,000 in 1900. Today, it has 280,000 inhabitants, a third of whom were born abroad.

From "long live the king" to "Catalonia has no king"

The city's mayor, David Quirós, was also in charge of the reception, which was attended by his predecessors, Núria Marín and Celestino Corbacho. Quirós, wearing a red tie and sneakers, was the host, but the star of the show was the king, who overshadowed Isla. The monarchists wanted to greet the king, not the president. Among the guests at the speech and closing cocktail reception were the president of Pimec, Antoni Cañete, and Espanyol player Omar El Hilali, a native of L'Hospitalet with Moroccan origins.

The anti-monarchists' chant of "Catalonia has no king" contrasted sharply with the institutional normality that Isla has sought to instill from the very beginning of his term. However, this did not prevent some friction between the demonstrators and the police. The royal household could not avoid the external tension it has witnessed during all its visits to Catalonia, although this tension had noticeably diminished compared to the period of the independence movement. This year, Hospitalet has been visited twice by the grace of the king.