BarcelonaThe call of King Felipe VI to preserve “democratic coexistence” in the face of “extremism, radicalism and populism” in the traditional speech offered on Christmas Eve has been forcefully replicated by pro-independence parties. During the floral offering at the grave of ex-president Francesc Macià, who died on Christmas Day 1933, the sovereignist groups questioned the monarch’s conciliatory speech.
Thus, the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull, has considered it “surreal” that Felipe VI appealed in the traditional Christmas speech to eliminate extremism when he was “the most extremist and the one who was the most radical against democratic coexistence” before the self-determination referendum of October 1, 2017. Number 2 of the members recalled that Felip VI appealed to the “‘a por ellos’ judiciary”, he affirmed that the king has “zero credibility” and has encouraged to follow, instead, the legacies of the former president of the Generalitat and of Pompeu Fabra, whose death anniversary is also commemorated today. Finally, he has spurred independence to unite in the face of the “weakness of the State” and achieve “the maximum for Catalonia”.
In the same line, the president of Esquerra, Oriol Junqueras, has denounced that “the Spanish head of state is one of the few in Europe who apologizes for violence and applauds and encourages the beating of the democrats who went to vote”. The leader of ERC wanted to convey a “message of hope”, while affirming that the republicans will know how to “work and fight so that Catalonia increasingly has more strength, more resources and more skills to put them at the service of health, transport and housing”.
The CUP has criticized that King Felipe VI praised the democratic “false transition” in his Christmas speech because “the Bourbon family, the enemy of Catalonia” has been “the heir of Francoism”. Deputy Dani Cornellà has said that, precisely, “the regime has continued to live” with the monarchy, using as an example the king’s speech after the October 1 referendum in which he “justified a violence towards our country that is historic and that represents the worst of the Spanish state”. In contrast, Cornellà has appealed to Macià’s legacy “as an example to follow”. “Like him, we think that no one can stop a people who are fully aware of their rights,” said the CUP deputy.
Illa defends “a Catalonia of coexistence that welcomes and integrates everyone”
President Salvador Illa has not referred to the King’s speech and has asked to work for “a Catalonia of coexistence that welcomes and integrates everyone” in the midst of controversy over the eviction of migrants from Badalona executed by the mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia-Albiol. Illa recalled the work of what was also president of the Catalan government, carried out “in turbulent and changing times” and stressed that at the moment we are also experiencing “fundamental, deep, sometimes very accelerated changes”. In this sense, he considered that Macià’s work “must serve as an example and a guide”.
The president of the Parliament, Josep Rull, for his part, has not overlooked that Macià suffered exile and has made a leap to the present to emphasize that the Parliament has not yet recovered “normality” because of its 135 deputies “there are two who remain in exile”, referring to Carles Puigdemont and Lluís Puig. “We will not exhaust all our intensity when asking for normality to return,” he reiterated.
