Santiago Abascal traveled to Girona on Tuesday to rally support for Vox in a region where the party has long targeted a breakthrough.
He addressed a crowd of over 1,000 people at the city’s Palace of Congresses, according to ara.cat. The party seeks to capture a seat in this Catalan stronghold, a territory where the PP has not won a deputy since Mariano Rajoy’s victory fifteen years ago.
The Vox leader was joined by Perpignan Mayor Louis Aliot, a figure in the party Reagrupament Nacional. Girona provincial president Alberto Tarradas and head of the list for the constituency Ignasi Mulleras also spoke at the event, both delivering remarks in Catalan.
Tarradas referred to Aliot as a “reference for all of us, a very close neighbor” and welcomed him to Girona. The three speakers defended the idea of “common sense and first the locals.”
Miri senyor @Santi_ABASCAL, demà, a Girona, vostè serà l'invasor. Ja fa temps que a Girona vam decidir deslliurar-nos de les seves cadenes. pic.twitter.com/zWJSpK4MBa
During the rally, party officials sought to appeal directly to voters who previously supported nationalist groups like CiU or Junts. Mulleras noted that attendees included people who had voted for CiU and shared a “concern for the survival of our land.” General secretary Ignacio Garriga argued that Junts had become a crutch for Pedro Sánchez, as reported by ara.cat.
Mulleras referenced Joan Maragall’s poem “Oda a Espanya” during his address, reciting the line urging Spain to listen to a child speaking a non-Castilian language. He noted that the poet had felt too much was spoken in Castilian in Spain.
Abascal framed mass immigration and the “Islamic caliphate” as the primary threats to Catalan identity rather than Spain itself. He directed appeals toward voters sympathetic to Aliança Catalana while acknowledging some political differences, according to ara.cat. He stated there are differences regarding whether Catalan identity is “exclusive” or “dual,” but argued this is no longer a key debate because Catalans must unite “before the Muslim invader.”
Abascal also addressed his recent interview on David Broncano’s program on TVE. He mocked the “nerves” and “hysteria” of Pedro Sánchez, denying claims that he threatened the presenter by stating, “I come from the Basque Country.”
Regarding the interview, he called it “uncomfortable” but refused to criticize the host, saying, “I feel sorry for the result for the presenter” due to the “insults from the far left” and the difficulty of “overcoming the pressure of the left.”
The Girona rally forms part of an intensive campaign schedule across Catalonia. The schedule includes a Wednesday stop in Tarragona on the day of a general strike and a planned Sunday event in Cornellà de Llobregat, aimed at capitalizing on rising poll numbers in historically difficult territory.
