Far-right Vox to be at center of Saturday protests

Saturday March 30 is set to see large concentrations for – and against – the far-right Vox party in Barcelona. This, in the city’s Plaça Espanya square at midday, as well as at the Ronda de Sant Antoni.

The original demonstration was called by Vox themselves, and was met with announced counter-protests by Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, as well as organizations like Arran, CDR, and parties CUP.

Colau’s protest

Colau announced the demonstration against the party on her Youtube channel, where she called on viewers to “hold a colorful party” faced with “black and white,” which she qualified as “rancid,” an adjective which used figuratively in Catalan can also allude to something being outdated. 

She also referred to Vox as “rancid,” saying: “they want us to go there. We won’t, but we won’t stay home either.” Inasmuch, she called the protest against the far-right group not in Plaça Espanya but in the Ronda de Sant Antoni, at 11:30am, half an hour before Vox’s gathering.

“There are more of us who will defend love winning over hate,” she concluded in her video. This is the second protest called in Barcelona to protest against Vox, the first having been held on March 23.

Vox denied holding an event

The party itself called the protest after Barcelona city council withdrew permission to hold an event in the city’s Palau Sant Jordi stadium. According to Vox, the council's decision was based on "exclusively political reasons." 

The city council’s reasoning, meanwhile, was that it was impossible due to maintenance. Vox has filed a lawsuit over the issue. 

The far-right organization has been gaining notoriety after having entered parliament in Andalusia recently and acting as private prosecution in the so-called independence trial.

Arran and CDR’s protest

The pro-independence left-wing youth organization, Arran, has announced it is planning to hold its own protest on March 30 to counter the Vox demonstration, under the slogan "No passaran" (They shall not pass), also in Plaça Espanya.

The also pro-independence organization Committee in Defense of the Republic (CDR) has also stated they will mobilize against Vox, posting “I came to make noise against fascism” on their social media.