ERC demands the dismissal of Trapero for the complaint of infiltration of the Mossos in a teachers' assembly

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 institutes, the unions denounced this Thursday the infiltration of two Mossos agents into an assembly of teachers who were preparing the next strike days. To the sector's indignation, opposition requests for explanations have been added, and ERC 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 challenge from the educational community, Republicans and CUP supporters, but also Junts and Comuns, have urgently demanded explanations from the 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 respond 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 seriousness," according to 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, warning that "half-measures will not suffice" in the outcome of this case. Asked if this affects the budget negotiations with the Government, 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.

The events reported by the CGT, Intersindical, and USTEC unions, and reported by La Directa, took place on Wednesday in an assembly of workers from the Consortium of Education and the Barcelonés, at the Pau Clarís Institute in Barcelona. According to the cited media, those present noticed two girls who did not speak at any time while they followed 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 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 did so without opposition, according to the teachers' account.

protests over the government's plan to introduce plainclothes police 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 teachers' 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 the strikes for public education 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, Profesores de Secundaria, CGT and Intersindical criticize that, "far from negotiating with the body of education workers in Catalonia", the executive sends "plainclothes officers" to "spy on educational staff". They denounce that this is a violation of union and assembly rights and demand clarification as to whether the infiltrations have been "a practice carried out since the beginning of the mobilizations".

It should be recalled that the new controversy with the teachers comes amid protests over the Government's plan to introduce plainclothes mossos in schools and institutes to "guarantee school coexistence", a measure highly 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 in it, a fact that Education has attributed to "media tension". Teachers, on the contrary, are asking for "the end of all interference by the Mossos corps".