Meridiana Resisteix and presidential speech underscore divisions within independence camp

Both Esquerra Republicana (ERC), the Catalan coalition government's senior partner, and junior partner Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) are in favor of independence. 

But recent events have once again brought the ongoing divisions between these two major parties as well as within the independence camp as a whole to the fore.

Meridiana Resisteix

For one, parliament speaker Laura Borràs' presence at an unauthorized Meridiana Resisteix protest on Saturday night in Barcelona was largely frowned upon by both opposition parties as well as Esquerra Republicana.

After blocking off traffic on Avinguda Meridiana, one of the Catalan capital's major arterial roads, on a daily basis since Catalonia's independence leaders were sentenced in late 2019 for organizing the 2017 referendum, and stopping only during Covid-19 lockdown, Catalonia's interior department, headed by Joan Ignasi Elena of ERC, decided to stop authorizing these protests from February 12.

These, however, have gone ahead despite the ban, with Mossos d'Esquadra police officers dispersing a few dozen peaceful demonstrators on Monday evening.

Interior minister Elena criticized Borràs for attending the protest on Saturday alongside hundreds of other people and highlighted "the political implications" her actions had. Borràs, who was interviewed by public broadcaster TV3 on Monday evening, said he "was mistaken." "Marching for civil and political rights is always the right thing to do," she argued.

Elena was not the only ERC party member to question Borràs' decision. Earlier on Monday, the party's parliamentary spokesperson, Marta Vilalta, called for "responsibility." "It is surprising that Borràs can take part in a demonstration against a government decision," she said.

President Aragonès' speech

Pere Aragonès' speech on Monday evening, a year after the Catalan election that saw him named president, has also caused unease amongst fellow pro-independence parties, which have taken a far more hardline stance when it comes to their dealings with Spain than Esquerra has.

The president's reference to the pardons for Catalonia's referendum organizers, which were granted last June, was met with criticism from Junts. In an interview with Catalunya Ràdio, the party's secretary-general and formerly imprisoned leader Jordi Sànchez said he interpreted his remarks as an allusion to "the first evidence of dialogue with Spain."

"We didn't know anything about this," he said. "If this is the case, ERC negotiators should have provided us with the details."

Junts also argued that the president should have mentioned the October 1, 2017 referendum as well as Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan president at the time of the referendum who now heads the party from Belgium in an effort to evade Spanish jurisdiction. Puigdemont also Tweeted at Aragonès and asked for "respect for the political strategy of exile."

Government spokesperson Patrícia Plaja answered Sànchez's question regarding the pardons on Tuesday: "at no point" did Aragonès say they were the result of "negotiations" with Spain, but rather that the pro-independence victory in the Catalan election had forced Spain to act, she said, describing Junts' comments as "not constructive."

Far-left CUP, meanwhile, whose support in Parliament is often key to getting legislation passed, said Aragonès "failed to say anything that would make it seem like something will happen." "We're at the same place we were a year ago," Dolors Sabater, the party's parliamentary spokesperson, complained. "We need less talk and more action."