The 'Carlos Cuevas Cupaire' who triumphs on social media: "We don't need more jobs, we need quality."

GironaFor the second summer in a row, the CUP videos from the Girona regions have gone viral again. They are a series of two-minute visuals, with a clear and concise message on key topics such as tourism, language, and immigration, which in recent weeks have generated hundreds of interactions and comments on X, Instagram, and TikTok. The protagonist is Guillem Surroca, the young cupero mayor of Cervià de Ter, who, at just 27 years old, is beginning to make a name for himself on the Catalan political scene

The idea for this communication format was born a year ago, when the party's northeastern assembly decided to appeal to young voters and gain more presence on social media and at times when xenophobic discourse was prevalent digitally. "The formula worked very well, but this summer it worked even more so; we're amazed. Ten or 15 years ago, Twitter gained a lot of popularity, and knowing how to express yourself in written messages was essential. Now, the video format has gained ground, and in general, the right uses it a lot, while the left hasn't been able to do so, with a few exceptions, like Mamdani's. So we had to update ourselves in this regard," explains Guillem Surroca.

The young politician, who is also a member of the Girona Provincial Council, has managed to captivate audiences with his on-camera speeches and his authentic and direct way of speaking: "Plain language is something that's in demand, speaking with somewhat provocative messages that aren't untrue," he acknowledges. Dressed in a straw hat or wearing football and music band shirts, he's often called the "Carlos Cuevas Cupaire" (the cup-like figure), due to his resemblance to the Catalan actor.

Against the "tourism and pigs" economic model

Beyond the pace and editing, the videos have gone viral primarily because of the message they convey, with mass tourism and the economic model that supports it as the main focus of debate: "People see it as a problem that shapes the future of our nation. As a party, we want to debunk the myths that have been built around the health of our economy and employment, but we believe this is a mistake. We are creating many jobs, but they are low-skilled and low-wage.

And it is from this socioeconomic analysis that the politician addresses the debate on demographics and immigration, so dominated by hate speech: "Immigrants don't come to steal or live off aid. Catalonia receives more immigration than surrounding countries due to the number of jobs it requires, and right-wing parties adopt a model and the meat industry that doesn't generate any equitable enrichment for the country," he argues. For Surroca, the "tourism and pigs" economic model also generates other derived grievances, such as rising housing costs, the decline in the social use of Catalan, and the climate emergency. And all of this without forgetting, of course, independence: "We are committed to reindustrialization, a tourist tax, and a minimum wage, and many of these changes cannot occur without getting rid of Spain, although that doesn't mean that in the meantime we can't start working to achieve it," he comments.