The Vox leader who shouts "Up Spain" and rebuked Valtònyc and Puigdemont

BarcelonaThe Vox deputy and party leader in Girona, Alberto Tarradas Paneque, is back in action thanks to controversy. He reappeared last Saturday, being the only Vox leader to attend the anti-immigration rally of Save Europe Act, which included white supremacists and racists among the just over 50 attendees.the anti-immigration rally of Save Europe Act, which included white supremacists and racists among the just over 50 attendees.

Tarradas was the revelation of Vox in 2021 in the Catalan parliamentary group, but since 2024 he has been overshadowed by another rising star, Júlia Calvet. The deputy became known thanks to controversies, such as when he heckled Valtònyc in Brussels in October 2019, shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling against the leaders of the Procés, amidst shouts and accusations that the independence movement had perpetrated a "coup d'état" that had "destroyed" Catalonia. They almost came to blows and the rapper tried to take the Spanish flag from him to "burn it". He was already president of Vox Girona then, despite his youth, at just 23 years old. A year later, he heckled former president Carles Puigdemont at the European Parliament amidst shouts of "coup plotter", "terrorist" and even against "communists" during a conference given by the Junts member.

He is very active on social media and the reprimands he has received several times for overly radical comments or because he sometimes "likes to play with fire" are well-known within the party, as admitted internally. There have been out-of-line remarks that have caused discomfort, such as his insistence on defending the Francoist slogan ""Arriba España"and, more recently, the Catalan translation "Amunt Espanya".

Coinciding with the rise of Aliança Catalana, he has been encouraged to use Catalan and has taken on a Girona role as leader of the far-right party in the region. His outbursts in Parliament have led the Vox leadership to force him to apologize, for example to ERC MP Najat Driouech – a Muslim – after insinuating that he would deport her. Tarradas is quick to insult in relaxed environments and last October 12th he shouted "son of a bitch" at the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, at the Spanish nationalist demonstration in Barcelona.

His fiery tone against immigration, especially that which professes Islam, has led him to build sympathies with radical platforms such as Save Europe Act. It is true that the manifesto defended by this movement in favor of deporting migrants is endorsed by Vox, but the party makes no reference to skin color or ethnicity in its speeches. In the promotional video, the promoters of last week's event used Catalan with English subtitles explaining that they did so to prevent any person of Latin American origin from attending.