Recently, with the daily tragedy in the Gaza Strip, it distressed me to speak to Anna on the phone, even though, in Brussels and she in Barcelona, ​​we had a habit of doing so, exchanging opinions and gossip. I knew perfectly well how much energy, how many hours, how much tenacity (in her own way) she had dedicated over the years to practical solidarity with the Palestinian people. Now, it's one thing to be shocked and saddened by all the images on television of missiles and destruction; it's quite another to have these images closely associated with so many stays in Gaza, so many friends, so many hopes, so many shared projects. Hence my qualms about speaking to her, who must have lived through these last few months of criminal war with unbearable pain.

Anna Balletbò, died this Friday at the age of 81, was a persistent woman. Thanks to that character and a schedule that had grown over the years, from the unexpected fame of being the only parliamentarian the military allowed to leave the chamber on February 23rd because she was pregnant, she managed to hold an economic meeting, which celebrated its 29th edition last year. And the most diverse political, economic, and social figures paraded there, from presidents of the Generalitat (Catalan government) to high-ranking officials and vice presidents of the central executive of all political stripes, trade unionists, academics, and governors of the Bank of Spain, among others. Nobody said no to Anna Balletbò.