"We have a problem in society and we have to face it": UGT, against the far-right
The union promotes a campaign to combat the rise of racist and xenophobic discourses
BarcelonaFaced with the rise of the far-right indicated by all polls, not only are left-wing parties trying to find a way to contain it, but the country's social and economic fabric is also mobilizing. This is the case of the UGT, which this week launched an anti-fascist campaign under the slogan "Who wins when hate advances?" The union alerts the working class to the racist and hateful discourse of parties like Vox and Aliança Catalana, as they warn that they do not "offer solutions to the real problems of citizens." "Voting for the far-right is not harmless, it has consequences for rights," points out the general secretary of the UGT, Camil Ros, in statements to ARA.
The union leader explains that they have been working on this social awareness campaign for some time because it is a matter that concerns them. Therefore, they have designed a campaign that foresees presentations throughout the territory and also the entry of debate into workplaces. To visualize the message, the union has created posters and also audiovisual material to disseminate on social networks. Thus, they link the alert for the rise of the far-right with issues of daily life such as healthcare, salaries, pensions, or housing.
Camil Ros recalls that the UGT is an organization that already draws from anti-fascism due to its historical trajectory: "It is a historical continuity that we have in our legacy." For this reason, he considers that the union had the obligation to launch a global campaign in the face of the rise of these parties in Catalonia, but also in the rest of the world. "We have a problem in society and we have to face it – he defends –. There is no place where the far-right governs where people live better," he adds. In this sense, he recalls that one of the focuses where the far-right has focused its attention, immigration, has always been understood by Catalanism as "positive" for society. For this reason, he defends that fighting against racism and xenophobia is also defending "social and labor rights." "We still have time," he concludes.