ERC, the Commons and the CUP demand Trapero's dismissal over the complaint of Mossos infiltration in a teachers' assembly
Educational unions and parties demand explanations from the Government while the body maintains it always acts within the law
BarcelonaThe conflict between the education sector and the Government escalates one more degree and shakes parliamentary politics. With the new wave of mobilizations underway, and amidst the controversy over the pilot test to introduce plainclothes police officers in schools and institutespilot test to introduce plainclothes police officers in schools and institutes, the unions denounced this Thursday the infiltration of two Mossos agents into an assembly of teachers who were preparing the next strike days. The indignation of the sector has been joined by calls for explanations from the opposition, and ERC, the Comuns, and the CUP have already called for the dismissal of the police chief, Josep Lluís Trapero. For the moment, the police force defends that it acts "always in accordance with current legislation" and the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has defended its "professionalism".
Taking up the gauntlet from the educational community, republicans and cupaires, but also Junts and the Comuns, have urgently demanded explanations in Parliament from both Trapero and the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, and the Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, with the demand that they clarify whether the events denounced by the unions occurred, who knew about them, and whether they are a response to a specific action or a more widespread practice. The four groups have agreed in separate press conferences that, if confirmed, the events would be of "extreme gravity", as reported by the ACN.
"In a democratic country, it is inadmissible to infiltrate the police into preparatory meetings for strikes," said the deputy spokesperson for Esquerra in the chamber, Jordi Albert, who warned that "half measures will not serve" in the outcome of this case. Regarding whether this affects the negotiation of the budgets with the Govern, for which the republicans are essential, the deputy did not want to set red lines, but stressed that "decisions must be made" and that ERC's request is "clear and transparent": "Dismissal of the police chief". "The person responsible for the operation that decided to infiltrate police agents into teacher assemblies must resign immediately," added Xavier Pellicer, from the CUP. "24 hours have passed without the Interior Ministry giving any explanation or apology about the infiltration of Mossos into a teachers' assembly, despite asking for it publicly and privately," criticized the spokesperson for the Comuns, David Cid, in a message on X, where he also called for Trapero's dismissal.
The events denounced by the CGT, Intersindical, and USTEC unions, and reported by La Directa, took place on Wednesday in an assembly of workers of the Barcelona Education Consortium, at the Institut Pau Clarís in Barcelona. According to the cited media, those present detected two girls who did not speak at any time while following the debates and agreements on the mobilizations of the coming weeks. As no one knew them, one of the attendees asked them where they worked and they said they worked at a school in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a fact that a teacher from that same center denied. After responding evasively, they were asked to leave and they left without opposition, according to the teachers' account.
protests over the Government's plan to introduce plainclothes officers in schools and institutesThe President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, also referred to the controversy when asked this morning in an interview with the SER. His response was that he "had no knowledge" of the alleged infiltration of agents in teacher assemblies – "Nor should I have it," he added – but he showed his "full confidence" and his "respect for the professionalism of the Mossos." However, he referred the "appropriate explanations" on these facts to the Minister of the Interior, who for now remains silent.
Unions denounce a violation of rights
The unions calling for public education strikes have already made it clear that these explanations are not enough and have criticized the Government's lack of "democratic quality." In a joint statement, USTEC, Secondary Teachers, the CGT, and Intersindical criticize that, "far from negotiating with the body of education workers in Catalonia," the executive sends "plainclothes agents" to "spy on educational staff." They denounce this as a violation of union and assembly rights and demand clarification on whether the infiltrations have been "a practice carried out since the beginning of the mobilizations."
It should be recalled that the new controversy with teachers comes amid full protests over the Government's plan to introduce plainclothes police officers in schools and institutes to "guarantee school coexistence," a measure heavily criticized in the sector and which the unions recall has not been part "at any time" of their demands, which relate to working conditions and the lack of resources in classrooms. At least seven of the fourteen centers included in the Government's plan have refused to participate, a fact that Education has attributed to "media tension." Teachers, on the contrary, call for "an end to all interference by the Mossos body."