Rufián, to Junts: "As long as I remain in politics, I will strive for you to end up in the greatest ostracism"

BarcelonaGabriel Rufián has gone up to the Congress rostrum with a stack of papers, some keys, and a 50-euro bill in his pocket. The stack of papers was to show the hundreds of messages that, he claims, he has received from people asking for ERC to vote in favor of the two housing decrees. The keys, he said, were to his house, which is not his own, he added. And the 50-euro bill was to send a message to Junts: "This is their estelada." While it is already common for the republican spokesperson to repeatedly send darts at Junts in his speeches in Congress, this Friday he dedicated his entire intervention to charging hard against Junts' 'no' to the two housing decrees that are to be validated this morning in Congress. And he made a promise: "For as long as I remain in politics, I will strive for you to end up in the greatest ostracism".

Rufián began by accusing Junts of having "real estate interests" and having put them ahead of defending the right to housing. "You are not here to choose an ideological path, you are here paying a debt. The question is, in exchange for what?", stated Rufián. "It is reprehensible and censurable that your particular interests screw over thousands of people", he snapped, only to then add: "You are not calibrating. The overstepping is historic, legendary". One of the arguments that Junts has used to defend its vote against the anti-eviction decree is that it does not sufficiently protect small property owners. An argument that Rufián has censored because he claims it is a "lie".

Compares Nogueras with Ayuso

In fact, Rufián has gone even a step further and has compared the leader of Junts in Madrid, Míriam Nogueras, with the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. "Stop imitating her," stated the republican deputy, who also accused her of making decisions to compete with the leader of Aliança, Sílvia Orriols. The criticisms of Nogueras did not end there, but he described her as a "bad politician" and of "destroying" a party that he believes is "necessary" for Catalonia. "I ask you to return to Pujolism, right-wing and conservative, but with whom one could hold a dialogue," he added.

The republican spokesperson ended by asking Junts to become a "decent" right-wing party and, besides promising to send them to "political ostracism," Rufián expressed his hope that, in the meantime, ERC "does not pact again" with Junts "for anything." He finished his intervention by reproaching Nogueras for not ending her speech this Friday with her usual "Long live a free Catalonia." "Long live a Catalonia free of you," concluded Rufián.