Smash the Spanish State, Restore Language Rights

On November 2019, a general election was held in Spain. As a result, a coalition government was formed between the PSOE, a kind of Spanish social democratic party (S&D in Europe so you have an idea), with 120 MPs, a centre-left party, and Unidas Podemos , with 35 MPs, a left-wing party. 

The new government promised to create a space to exchange ideas concerning the Catalan situation, with the aim of discussing the political relation of Catalonia with the Spanish State. Besides this, its aims included other issues concerning the Catalan economy, structures, and services. It is not in their interest to make steps towards the possibility of letting the Catalan people to vote for their future, and members of both parties in the government have insisted that Spanish legal framework does not allow these kinds of democratic procedures. Despite that, the Catalan government has always prioritized the dialogue and negotiation with the Spanish authorities, because we think that this is a conflict of political nature and it thus has to be solved politically.

The PSOE is one of the pillars of the Spanish regime, represented by the 1978 constitution, the direct legacy of Franco’s Dictatorship. Recently they have voted against the creation of a committee dedicated to the investigation of the former King Juan Carlos and his corruption crimes. PSOE had also voted for the application of the Article 155, by which the Spanish government took control of the Catalan institutions and sent members of the Catalan government to prison. Unfortunately, Podemos has chosen to walk on the same path as the PSOE, and this party has voted against the investigation of the current King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the contracts related to weaponry deals between him and the monarchy in Saudi Arabia.

The monarchy is one of the most obvious evidences of the poor democratic system in Spain. This is one of the factors that foster national liberation movements, as it is one of the symbols that represent the yoke of the oppressed historical nations under the King’s rule. The Spanish left has failed to be a guide for the independentist and sovereigntist movements not only in Catalonia but also in Valencia, the Balearic Islands, the Basque Country and Galicia. In the past regional elections in these territories, the sovereigntist left has achieved historical results, with BNG (Galicia) and EH Bildu (Basque Country), being also models in the fight for independence, besides Esquerra Republicana in Catalonia. People have realised that the only way to achieve real progress from a leftist perspective is through self-determination.

14F Regional Election

Last December 2020, the Catalan government announced that the regional election would be on the 14th of February 2021. However, the situation in Catalonia, and the rest of Spain, concerning the COVID-19 pandemic has been getting worse. The government decided to postpone the election up to the 30th of May, due to the serious sanitary situation Catalonia is going through and ensure the right to vote without health concern. All the parties in the Catalan Parliament voted for the new date, except for PSC (regional branch of the Spanish PSOE), and VOX, a Spanish far right-wing party, who brought the government’s decision to court. The interests behind their negative decision are purely electoral, without paying attention to the scientific opinions and the prevention that is planned in order to lower the cases of COVID19. 

On top of that, the Minister of Health of the Spanish Government, a crucial figure during a pandemic such as this, Salvador Illa (PSOE-PSC), is running for president in the regional election in Catalonia. All parties have been questioning his possibilities to campaign and to assume the responsibilities as one of the essential authorities in the administration to fight the COVID-19 crisis.

Linguistic emergency!

One of the main organizations dedicated to the protection and promotion of the use of the Catalan language, called “Plataforma per la Llengua”, has concluded that in 2020, Catalan entered a state of linguistic emergency.

Data shows that the situation is especially worrying among the youth. Catalan is not an option when talking to classmates and friends at school or other education centres, and the percentage drops down to less than a 30% of use in the playground during a pause or inside the classrooms of Catalan schools. 

The situation at the university is even worse. It has been observed that in many degrees which offer subjects taught in Catalan, according to the official teaching guides, the reality is quite different. Many students have reported that professors reject using Catalan as lingua franca in their lectures, even if the students enrolled in the group which officially teaches in Catalan.

Right wing parties and even left parties that have representation all over the Spanish State have left the Catalan language aside. Some say that Spanish speakers are being prosecuted by independentists or accuse teachers and professors of indoctrination because they address their students in Catalan or talk about the worrying situation the language is going through. Others forget about it and don’t make any efforts to bring the language to a more stable and “healthy” state.

Marçal Escartin
International Affairs Secretary
Joventuts d'Esquerra Republicana (Jovent Republicà)
Left Republican Youth