At the current Universitat Catalana d’Estiu in Prada de Conflent have Jordi Turull, Secretary General of Junts, and Oriol Junqueras, president of ERC, made a clear distinction on Wednesday from the far-right pro-independence party Aliança Catalana Turull spoke of a “battle of values” and said that “nothing good can be done with those who preach hatred”. Junqueras backed this position and also condemned messages of hate in his speech.
The remarks are best understood as a response to Aliança Catalana’s recent surge. According to polls and analyses, the party led by Sílvia Orriols is gaining ground in Catalonia, particularly in inland towns. Although Aliança Catalana currently has only two MPs in Parliament, it has shifted debates on migration and security to the right and influenced the agendas of other parties, as several Catalan media reports have noted. Junts in particular faces pressure in its traditional strongholds, where Aliança Catalana is competing for similar groups of voters.
From the left, Els Comuns warned on the same day that Junts must prove “through its actions” that it has clearly broken with Aliança Catalana – for example, by ruling out municipal agreements and issuing unequivocal position papers against discriminatory initiatives. The call raises the question of whether the current distancing goes beyond symbolic gestures and is reflected in government and coalition practice too.
The Universitat Catalana d’Estiu in Prada de Conflent traditionally marks the start of the political year in Catalonia, which reaches a symbolic high point in September with the Diada Junqueras also announced on the sidelines of the event that he would take part in the major Diada demonstration again after five years – a move that could further energise pro-independence supporters’ political mobilisation.
What practical consequences the strong words will have remains unclear. Observers expect the coming months to show, at the intersection of migration, security and municipal order, whether the line drawn by Junts and ERC becomes a lasting cordon sanitaire. The balance of power in rural areas and medium-sized towns, where Aliança Catalana has recently made above-average gains, is likely to be decisive in the 2027 municipal election cycle and any possible 2028 elections to the Parliament of the Generalitat.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).