Expelled 600 singers from the Sagrada Familia because some wore Esteladas printed on their sheet music

BarcelonaSome 600 members of various choirs who were due to participate this Wednesday in the mass and the act of blessing the cross of the tower of Jesus of the Sagrada FamiliaWhile they were singing the Virolai, however, they observed "a lot of secret police" climbing up to where they were. "I thought it was just the general protocol for the Pope and that was it," admits one of the affected singers. Before they had even finished singing the hymn to the Virgin of Montserrat, the officers began to make them come down from the choir lofts and led them outside.

According to the planned schedule, the choirs were to descend and proceed to the sides of the Nativity facade. There, with light tubes in their hands, they were to go in pairs to form the choirs of the Escolania, who would act as soloists. Finally, they were to raise their lights, looking towards the tower of Jesus, and, as the music ended, depart in a staggered manner. "But that bore no resemblance to what we had been rehearsing on Monday. They had taken us to the other side of the facade without giving us any explanation," explains a singer.

In fact, this entire final performance, which was to accompany the blessing of the new tower – and which was the culmination of an event presided over by the Pope that lasted about four hours – did not take place. "Since they make us leave the choir lofts early, no one informs us of any change of plans or gives us any explanation. They just move us aside," states the same singer. Afterwards, and as RAC1 reported, the police moved them away from the basilica, amidst the singers' complaints, and held them confined for fifteen minutes. "A lot of police started coming and they kept pushing us. We weren't expecting it at all, it's a giant lack of respect," the singer explained.

According to sources familiar with the matter, it is believed that, in addition to the Esteladas printed on the sheet music booklets, some of the singers intended to sing Els segadors at the end of the event; a fact that would have led to the group's expulsion. Sources from the Sagrada Familia indicate that the performance of the national anthem was not included in the officially approved program and, therefore, was not planned during the event. "As in any institutional and liturgical celebration, the event unfolds according to a predetermined program that all participants must follow," they state. They also emphasize that the basilica is a Catholic temple and "no flags are brought in during religious celebrations."

Prieto denies tensions over "any identity element"

The security detail inside the basilica is the responsibility of the National Police. Although the force initially stated they would release a statement once the facts had been clarified, they declined to make any statement on the matter in the afternoon. Mossos d'Esquadra distances itself from this police action.

For their part, the Spanish government's delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, has framed the departure of the Sagrada Família singers "within the normality" of the event's development. In fact, he downplayed the events: "[The departure] does not foresee any ideological, identity, or any kind of element. The event had simply finished and we invite everyone to leave the basilica, and obviously there are specific exit areas," he justified.

Prieto, furthermore, admitted that he does not know if there was any "moment of tension: "We did not see it". And he added that the entire Sagrada Família event “proceeded with total normality”, as “had been agreed with the Vatican”. According to the Spanish government's delegate, the police officers, the basilica's private security, and the Mossos invited all attendees – including those on the upper level as a choir – to leave the temple because the event had ended. "Everything was at the end of the event; it did not affect anything,” Prieto insisted, and denied any specific action taken to prevent the esteladas.

Junts requests Marlaska's appearance

The controversy has generated reactions in the political arena. One of the first has been that of the former president and leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont. In a message on X, he has demanded explanations and that responsibilities be assumed for "the shameful act of repression against the singers and against citizens who were carrying Esteladas".

Shortly after, the pro-independence MP in Congress Pilar Calvo announced that they have registered several questions on the matter in the Spanish chamber and have requested the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The objective is to know "who gave this order [to expel the singers], what criteria justified it, and under what legal coverage the freedom of expression of hundreds of participants was restricted". Esquerra has also described the events as "ideological control and preventive censorship" and has registered a series of questions to the Spanish government in the Congress of Deputies and the Senate to clarify the facts.

The general secretary of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, has joined the wave of indignation. Through a message published on X, she has harshly criticized the events and announced that they will transfer institutional pressure to the municipal government to clarify everything that has happened. "Surrounding and expelling singers for carrying printed Catalan flags on their sheet music? What a level," Alamany stated. On the other hand, the president of the Parliament, Josep Rull, has asked for "all possible explanations" in the face of a "serious, worrying, and incomprehensible" act in a democracy.

The CUP has also raised its voice, in this case through its MP Xavier Pellicer. The CUP member has described the expulsion of the singers as a genuine "witch hunt" against pro-independence sentiment, and has pointed out that these are "unacceptable" events in a democracy. The anti-capitalist party has registered a series of questions on this matter in the Parliament.

Òmnium and ANC demand resignations

Òmnium Cultural and the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) have demanded "responsibilities" and direct "resignations" from the commanders involved in the expulsion of the 600 singers from the Sagrada Família. Òmnium denounces what it considers a "clear violation of freedom of expression" and stresses that defending self-determination and the independence of Catalonia "is not a crime". For its part, the ANC regrets that those who wanted to exercise a "peaceful and respectful" claim towards Gaudí and the ceremony were made to leave "like criminals".