Oriol Junqueras has spent weeks actively and passively rejecting the project of left-wing unity that ERC spokesperson in Madrid, Gabriel Rufián, is trying to promote at the state level. The republican leader, however, went a step further this Monday with a more than clarifying sentence about his position: "I went to prison for Catalonia, not because Colau is a deputy on an Esquerra list," he summarized in the context of the presentation of the book by deputy Francesc-Marc Álvaro. A statement for which the former mayor of Barcelona has accused him of doing mansplaining.

The debate about unity to the left of the PSOE has resurfaced strongly in recent days. Gabriel Rufián's call on Wednesday not to split the progressive vote The prospect of running together again in the upcoming general elections resonated this Saturday at another event in Madrid. Comunes, Más Madrid, Izquierda Unida, and Movimiento Sumar staged a demonstration that they will once again contest the elections scheduled for 2027, amid heightened anticipation. because of the Republican's proposalWhile these groups' approach differs from that of the ERC spokesperson in Congress, and there are no realistic expectations of bringing the pro-independence parties on board, the new electoral coalition—still in its very early stages—has emphasized the need to be as many actors as possible within a single candidacy. "We won't close the door to anyone," they stated. This appeal does reflect a desire—currently a pipe dream after the traumatic split at the beginning of the legislature—to attract Podemos. They have also included other parties with which they have previously joined forces, such as Compromís and Més per Mallorca. the Aragonese UnionOf these, only the Valencia fans attended the presentation, in which Yolanda Díaz was notably absent.

The debate surrounding broad coalitions has shaken the left since Gabriel Rufián brought it to the forefront. The proposal has engaged the Comuns, who are working in discreet meetings to revive their coalition to the left of the PSOE with Izquierda Unida, Más País, and Sumar, after Yolanda Díaz's party lost momentum following successive electoral defeats and the conflict declared against it by Podemos. With this new coalition, sources within Comuns assert that the Catalan party will have a "more prominent role" in the new project, which aims for greater "horizontal" collaboration among the member parties now that there is no longer a nationally representative force, as Podemos was until 2019 or Sumar at its inception. The ultimate goal remains to find a "winning formula" to re-establish the coalition government and avoid a PP-Vox coalition.

"It would be unacceptable if, in future elections, progressive democratic forces were unable to organize themselves in whatever way possible to build broad democratic popular fronts capable of stopping the right and the far right." These are the words Ada Colau spoke in OctoberJust after returning to Catalonia from participating in the flotilla to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, which was ultimately detained by the Israeli government, these statements already hinted at a veiled endorsement of Gabriel Rufián's proposal for a plurinational left-wing front. Now that the ERC spokesperson in Congress has taken a further step in defending this project, with a joint event with a spokesperson from Más Madrid, Colau explicitly endorsed Rufián's call for left-wing unity.

In his office at the Congress, Gerard Pisarello keeps three objects: a photograph of Frederica Montseny, an anarchist minister of the Second Republic; a portrait of Pi i Margall, Catalan president of the First Republic; and a Barcelona flag. These three symbols represent the values ​​with which the now-Congressman and former right-hand man of Ada Colau in the City Council identifies: grassroots left-wing movements, republicanism, and municipalism. The former deputy mayor of Barcelona is now taking the step to become a candidate for Barcelona en Comú in 2027 after several voices from space asked him to, when no one could yet foresee that they would end up testing each other's strength in a primary election with the writer and comedian Bob Pop. At the official launch of the candidacyOrganized hastily when the party realized it would have to fight for the mayoral nomination, Pisarello appeared flanked by Colau and Ernest Urtasun. A message that made it clear he is the official candidate of the party leadership.

ARA's director, Esther Vera, had promised a "fiery" conversation, and it delivered. The quintessentially Barcelona-centric clash of titans between former mayor Ada Colau and economist Miquel Puig on the housing crisis did not disappoint. Let's start with the end: when, at the last minute, journalist Eva Arderius asked them for a reason for optimism, Puig mentioned the promise to eliminate tourist licenses and Colau the initiative for a law prohibiting speculative purchases. But this was in the pre-farewell relaxation. Behind them lay a battlefield of dialectical clashes, passionate arguments, and, in short, pure enjoyment for an audience that didn't lose focus for a moment.

British journalist John Carlin; the editorial director of Le MondeSylvie Kauffmann; the American historian Mark Bray; the economist Miquel Puig; and the former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, are some of the prominent names who will participate in the conference. We focus: the solutions forumA conference organized by the newspaper ARA will be held on January 23 and 24 at the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona. Its aim is to debate, reflect on, and seek answers to humanity's greatest challenges: climate change, democracy, housing, and human relationships.

Barcelona En Comú is holding its first leadership primaries in its eleven-year history. Never before have two lists competed to lead the party, which faces the post-Ada Colau era with its sights set on the 2027 municipal elections and the big question mark of who its mayoral candidate will be. Until December 15, two candidates are vying to lead a party that aims to To forge alliances with the left in the city with the dream of regaining the mayoralty (a dream that, for now, faces opposition from the polls). Neither Colau nor Janet Sanz, the most visible figures in recent years, are running, nor is Gemma Tarafa, the number two in the BComú city council, who is now focused on her role as coordinator of Comuns.

June 2017. Catalonia is in turmoil amidst the independence movement, on the cusp of a summer that would mark a turning point in Catalan politics. But while the discussion focuses on the October 1st referendum, Barcelona En Comú, led by then-mayor Ada Colau, organizes a municipal summit that brings together 180 cities and some 700 activists from the international left in the Catalan capital. This is Fearless Cities, an event that will later expand to the United States and Europe. There, a connection is forged that will be key to BComú's mobilization strategy from then on: that of the Working Families Party (WFP), a like-minded organization. to the new mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdaniand a new hope for the left in a time of rising far-right sentiment. The first contact occurred when Colau became mayor, at the request of this party, due to the victory of the BComú candidacy in the 2015 elections. However, the relationship between the two groups grew even closer in the lead-up to the 2019 campaign, when Colau managed to retain her position thanks to the PSC's Ernest Maragall.

Following her expedition with the Flotilla to denounce the genocide in Gaza, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau reappeared at an event organized by the Common Sense Foundation. In her inaugural address at the political training school of Comuns, the former leader of Barcelona en Comú and president of the party delivered a message focused on the importance of social justice. think tank He was clear: "It would be unacceptable if, in upcoming elections—we're not talking about the immediate future, because there's still some time to go—progressive democratic forces are unable to organize themselves in whatever way necessary to build broad democratic popular fronts capable of stopping the right and the far right." This is a message that Barcelona en Comú... It was put into circulation in the summer, with the idea of trying to bring positions closer with ERC and the CUP. looking ahead to 2027. The proposal, however, arouses suspicion among Republicans, although a similar one has emerged from their ranks: The proposal by the ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, to create a plurinational front of the left in the State which the party leadership itself has ruled out.

At home, I was taught a value that seems out of this world: if you do a good deed selflessly, bragging about it takes away all its value. If you give alms, or do a gift, or perform a favor, bragging about your generosity automatically turned it into what we would call today. self-promotionThat is, in personal promotion, investment in one's own reputation. That is, in publicity and, in the case of power, in pure and simple propaganda. That's why even the bloodthirsty Hassan II occasionally granted a handful of pardons and presented himself to his subjects as clement and merciful (which are the two most repeated attributes when referring to God in Islam). In the age of social media and virality, the ethic of altruism instilled in me by the women in my family seems completely obsolete. In politics, social movements, and activism, we see sincerely committed people who dedicate their time, energy, and efforts to transforming the world they live in out of deep conviction. You'll recognize them because their vocational involvement probably doesn't pay off, and they'll surely often wonder if the daily confrontation with much more powerful forces is worth it. But the thought quickly dissipates because there's so much work to be done, and doubts are left for private conversation. I think of so many feminist organizations working from the grassroots, so many organizations dedicated to child poverty, all those doctors who go to remote areas to practice their profession, but also of the teachers, social workers, and nurses who care for forgotten people in forgotten neighborhoods that no one cares about. Of course, it's their job, but it's not the same thing for a family doctor to answer "I don't know what you're talking about" than for her to listen to you with her full attention, even if it's only for five minutes. I have placed all my hopes for humanity in these tremendously useful people who never appear on television or make a living. tiktoks showing his heroism in the office, in the classroom or wherever he is.

Writer and communicator Roberto Enríquez Higueras (Madrid, 1971), known as Bob Pop, wants to be mayor of Barcelona. He explained this in his segment on the program. Today from Cadena SER, in which he stated that he is "considering" running "for real" in the upcoming municipal elections as a candidate for the Comú party. He said that he will submit "to all of the organization's participatory processes." He also explained that he has "always" supported Ada Colau and that, after the former mayor "maybe considered not running again," he considered running himself. "I would love to be in a mayoralty with Ada. But if Ada isn't there, why don't I go and run?"

Today, the world's eyes are on Egypt, where Israeli, Palestinian, and American negotiators are meeting to decide whether or not to sign Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. The United States is pressuring Hamas to sign. Netanyahu bombs Gaza to get Hamas to sign, and Hamas must quickly say whether it accepts the 20-point plan agreed upon by Trump and Netanyahu.

Of the more than 500 activists from 44 countries that make up the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted by Israel as it approached GazaThere are up to fifty who have Spanish nationality. And of these, fifteen are Catalan. Most confirmed that they were traveling aboard ships attacked in international waters by Israeli soldiers and are currently detained incommunicado.

"If you're seeing this, it means Israel has detained us illegally." This is the message that former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau launched in a video on social media published minutes after the the assault of Israeli military boats on the Global Sumud Flotilla. The same has been done by CUP (Collective Action Party) MP in Parliament, Pilar Castillejo, who is also traveling aboard the fleet with 500 activists, transporting humanitarian aid with the aim of breaking the blockade of Gaza. Both the Comuns (Communists) and the CUP (Cup) have echoed the videos that both politicians have recorded in case the assault actually occurs. Colau and Castillejo call on all citizens to mobilize to denounce the genocide in the Strip.

It's a shame that this fleet, with Greta Thunberg and Ada Colau on board, had to return to port due to rough seas, but a shipwreck wouldn't have been very edifying. It's understandable that they wanted the ship to appear in the photo, to try to stir consciences (a completely useless gesture), and that's why, I suppose, they didn't abort the mission from the beginning. The intention is good. The cause of Gaza is, at this moment, a planned genocide, effectively starving adults and children to death (I'm not mentioning animals because, unwittingly, I already know that the luckiest ones have been eaten, as in every place). Read it in the ARA, if you haven't already (this summer all my contacts' chats echoed it). the diary by Palestinian writer and translator Sondos Sabra.

Barcelona en Comú has set a goal: to reclaim the mayoralty in the 2027 municipal elections from Jaume Collboni, whom they accuse of being an ally of lobbyists and whom they have been trying to undermine for months to position themselves as the alternative "for the city's working classes." The loss of the mayoralty and Ada Colau's withdrawal from the political frontline was a blow to the municipalist party, which held a congress this weekend to update its ideology and overcome the disenchantment that, they admit, is still felt among its electorate. The recipe they propose is more left-leaning alliances (and away from the PSC) and to become stronger as a political organization in the neighborhoods, now that BComú has celebrated its 10th anniversary. But, regarding the 2027 candidacy, the party has opted to take a back seat: although the report reiterates the need to limit the terms of its public officials, it also leaves the door open to Colau should she decide to run for mayor again on the PSC ticket.

A woman from Barcelona raises her hand at the first official event of the Common Sense Foundation. with Ada Colau as president (and protagonist). It's at the Comuns headquarters on Calle Marina, and has brought together around sixty people who have come to hear the former mayor and former minister Joan Subirats reflect on how to face a new political cycle marked by the rise of the far right around the world. A woman takes the floor to thank Colau for what she did during her years at the helm of the council. The series of talks launched by the foundation under Colau's leadership, which kicked off this Friday with this first event, is intended to be a highlight. Common Sense Friday, It is the attempt of the think tank of Commons to put the left "on the couch" after the loss of votes of the space in the last electoral cycle, a term that has been used by the journalist of Critical Sergi Picazo, moderator of the talk. The loss of the Barcelona mayoralty, the crown jewel of Comuns, left the space devastated.and even divided about whether or not it was necessary to invest Jaume Collboni to prevent the return of Xavier Trias, as effectively ended up happening. And here, the former mayor has given in to political psychoanalysis: she admitted that the right is "more skilled" at taking people's pulse and that we must find the target of "emotions, care, and skin." "We must provide data and manage, but it is not enough. We must appeal to emotions, which is what mobilizes people the most," she said.

Comuns MEP Jaume Asens (Barcelona, ​​​​1972) visits the ARA following the publication of his book The Unrecoverable Years.

Gemma Tarafa (Barcelona, ​​1971) has been the coordinator of Comuns since November, along with Candela López. She arrives after serving alongside Ada Colau as a councilor at Barcelona City Council since 2019.