The Catalan Olympic medalist who defended the police on 1-O and 155

BarcelonaThe canoeist Saúl Craviotto (Alpicat, 1984) gave the opening speech for Lleida's May Festivities on Friday behind closed doors due to the rejection of his choice by a part of civil society. Basically because Craviotto, the Spanish athlete with the most Olympic medals – with six –, was already a National Police agent before becoming a sports icon and positioned himself against the referendum and in favor of the application of Article 155, endorsing the police repression of October 1st. With this background, about twenty parties and entities unsuccessfully requested that a substitute be found, but the mayor Fèlix Larrosa retorted that he was "an example of values".

The promoters of the protest highlighted the brutality of the security forces during October 1st to oppose his election, even though he has been stationed in Gijón since 2016 and did not participate in the charges on the day of the vote. Be that as it may, the canoeist stood by his professional colleagues when he broke his silence just after the unilateral declaration of independence (DUI). "I believe the time has come to speak out. I couldn't stay silent any longer," he wrote in a now-deleted thread on X, where he justified not having spoken before due to his dual role as a police officer and a native of Lleida. "I have the complete package", the decorated athlete ironically stated, who was on the verge of quitting competition before winning his first gold at the Beijing Games in 2008.

When he finally spoke, however, he didn't mince words. "I wanted to express my absolute support for all the police officers and civil guards stationed in Catalonia, as well as for the immense majority of Mossos d'Esquadra who are there to restore legality and common sense. Unfortunately, faced with this roadmap-less madness, I can't think of any other measure than to apply Article 155, which I hope and wish will be used in a graduated and proportional manner," he added, endorsing the loss of self-government.

Just two months later, the National Police returned the compliments, congratulating him on winning the second edition of MasterChef Celebrity, where he faced another Catalan, actress Sílvia Abril. The menu that won him the competition included kingfish with tomato bread, woodcock with apple and corn gnocchi, and for dessert, passion fruit and apricot cream, mango ice cream quenelle, and a chocolate tree. The police officers who were housed on ships in Catalan ports waiting to be allowed to "act" and who ate frozen spaghetti and croquettes every day, as denounced by the unions, must have had less desire to congratulate him.