The demonstration of 11-S, which the municipal police estimated at 150,000 people, indicates that in Catalonia there are still a wide sector that –despite the pardons and the dialogue table– remains uncomfortable inside Spain and aspires to a quick and unilateral independence. It would be as absurd to detract from the demonstration as not to put it in context. 150,000 is a lot, but much less than the 600,000 that the same municipal police accounted for in 2019, before covid. But the strangest thing is that, just as since 2012 the calls for 9/11 called for independence, Sunday’s also censored the sovereignist parties –accused of being autonomists– and mainly to the first pro-independence party, that of the ‘president’ of the Generalitat.
This is how the dialogue table was attacked and the resignation of the Government and new elections were requested if unilateral independence was not fast-tracked. It is good that the ANC says what it wants and even pretends to “enrich” Catalonia with a new electoral list. But is not wanting to usurp the representation of authentic Catalonia that only corresponds to the Parliament. In a democracy, representativeness is granted by the vote and not by the street. And in Catalonia there have been free elections since 1980 and parliaments have produced –with more or less hurried negotiations– presidents as diverse as Jordi Pujol, Pasqual Maragall, José Montilla, Carles Puigdemont, Quim Torra and Pere Aragonès. The demonstrations are free and more or less numerous. The governments that leave Parliament after the elections are legitimate.
It is worth repeating because confuse large demonstrations with the popular will, that later they want to make prevail even the rules of the Rule of Law, is what led to the independence movement serious mistake and the failure of 2017. And now the president of the ANC, Dolors Feliu, with fewer people, seems to want to repeat it. What is expressed by Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural, who wants to seek “new complicities”, is more reasonable. But that is difficult purging ‘suspects’ and without considering that after 10 years there can be no “new complicities” within separatism.
In factto all the independence movement –starting with ERC– it is difficult for him to admit that he represents only half of Catalonia and that if nothing is agreed with the other half, it will be very difficult to reach a compromise acceptable to the vast majority. And prevail in a Europe in which one of the few undisputed principles is respect for the rules of the rule of law.
According to the latest survey of the CEO of the Generalitat only 41% of Catalans (against 52%) are today in favor of independence. It is logical and legitimate that the independence movement aspires to a large majority. But that majority today does not exist and ERC has recognized that it will not be achieved overnight and that unilateralism is impossible because of that 41%, only 11% –against 28%– are in favor of the unilateral route.
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ERC, due to a careful reading of the European reality and of the electoral results themselves, has concluded that negotiation is required. But he still does not admit that the aspiration of half of Catalonia is very relevant, but It is not the indisputable will of Catalonia. That is why he delays the convening of the dialogue table between Catalans that even Torra convened once. and to not recognizing that the two halves of Catalonia have the same rights, it indirectly furthers the maximalist claims of unilateralism.
On the other hand, the presence –satisfied– of ‘consellers’ of JxC in a demonstration in which the Government was attacked leaves everyone in a snubbed situation. doIs it possible to be in the Government at the same time and cheer on those who ask him to resign? Perhaps yes, because Jordi Turull, general secretary of Junts, who is not Laura Borràs, does not want to break up the Government, although he does want to erode ERC in the face of municipal elections. But the general policy debate in the Parlament at the end of the month will force Aragonès and Turull to strike a very confused balance. And the confusion fattens the populism of fishermen in troubled rivers that unfortunately thrives in some European countries. Sweden is the example of last Sunday. Italy may be before the end of the month.