The Junts community celebrates Hispanic Heritage Day so that a council member's mother can swear allegiance to the flag.
It has been organized at the request of Alberto Mas, from the PP, who is part of the municipal government of Calonge and Sant Antoni
Calonge and Sant Antoni"Long live Spain and long live the king." With timpani, trumpets blasting, and eighty soldiers, the swearing-in ceremony of the Spanish flag was held this Saturday in Calonge and Sant Antoni, a municipality governed by a Junts mayor, Jordi Soler. The "Thank you, Mayor" said by the army commander in the province of Girona, Colonel Javier Gómez Yagüe, however, did not refer to Soler. He was referring to Alberto Mas Vilà, a PP councilor and member of the governing team, who was acting mayor this Saturday and the highest civil authority present. He organized the swearing-in ceremony, pulling all the strings to secure permission from the City Council to use the Palau Firal for the occasion, the eve of Hispanic Heritage Day. That's why the City Council seal appeared on the posters announcing the event.
One hundred citizens swore an oath of allegiance, pledging to "give their lives for Spain if necessary," while the opposition was enraged by the "militarization," according to ERC. The event, however, ended without incident, apart from a drone crashed into the wall of the venue due to a soldier's careless behavior. Mas achieved his goal because he rented the space through the PP (People's Party) for 300 euros and ceded it to the Ministry of Defense to organize it. The City Council made it clear in a statement that it was not participating, but that it was lending the space, among other things, to guarantee the "plurality" of the town. However, the fact is that Mas was the architect.
Exaltation of Spain
The event was a combination of Spanish nationalist exaltation, words of "consensus," and a defense of the Constitution by the Girona commander. The swearing-in ceremony included the leader of Vox in Girona and member of Parliament, Alberto Tarradas; the far-right party's councilor in Roses, Ignasi Mulleras; and Mas Vilà's 90-year-old mother, who is actually the reason for the swearing-in. Mercedes Vilà, who uses a walker, was able to kiss the flag. "I asked my son; I'm 90 years old and I wanted to swear the oath. He got it for me, and I was very moved," she told ARA after the event. "Every time I wanted to swear the oath, I was out of Spain or sick, and finally, I was able to do it at home," Mas said. He requested this from the commander and also from the mayor of the tripartite municipal government, which includes the PSC and PP. "I spoke with the mayor, and he said that an ANC event was organized six months ago, so if I wanted to do it, as it's an institutional event of the Ministry of Defense, there would be no problem. They don't come, but they see it as normal," he explained.
Among the audience were Jaume Veray, a member of the Parliament and Girona councilor for the PP, and Juan Fernández, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Popular Party. The Girona district had not hosted any swearing-in ceremonies since 2022, after Figueres' decision was taken, at an army facility, the Sant Ferran Castle. No permit was required there, while in Calonge, it was. Against "radicalism and division," in favor of consensus, and quoting the father of the Constitution, Miquel Roca y Junyent (CiU), the commander praised "the common culture of the Spanish-speaking peoples," in a vindication of the discovery of America that preceded the glorification of the Constitution, a text that Vox does not like at all. "The swearing-in was carried out with the collaboration of City Hall staff," Colonel Gómez Yagüe thanked this newspaper, noting that it is "an act of normality." The transition and democratic values were also highlighted, and he affirmed that it is key "that everyone can express their feelings and ideas" in Catalonia, including those of Spanish nationalist fervor.
According to the Popular Party councilor, the swearing-in "should not offend anyone" and was carried out "without complexes" against "the fascists, Nazis, and potential terrorists who wanted to cancel the event." Mas acknowledged that "half the people are very angry" about the inauguration and that he had to endure "fun days putting up with nonsense on social media and in the streets." Alberto Tarradas, leader of Vox in Girona, was most excited. He expressed his "surprise" that "it could be held normally" in a context of independence movements, which he said he sees as "on the decline."
The event was organized by the Arapiles 62nd Infantry Regiment, based in Sant Climent Sescebes, and featured a variety of Girona and Catalan Spanish nationalism, with the PP and Vox being strong.
