Lola García
10/19/2019 00:47
Most of the independence movement is the impressive demonstration that overflowed Barcelona yesterday. Half a million people, according to the Urban Guard, who protested calmly and civically against the Supreme Court ruling. A river of people, entire families, that flooded the Diagonal and the Meridiana. As they have been doing for years, this time to show their outrage over the Supreme Court ruling. In that enormous civic mobilization they placed the hope of many pro-independence leaders to return to a certain tranquility and put the focus on a powerfully peaceful image. But violence has taken over part of the protest and has exceeded all forecasts, beyond the control of the politicians who run the Generalitat.
The urban guerrillas that have taken over the streets of Barcelona have exceeded police forecasts. The Mossos expected a collapse on the main roads and some incidents. It was even foreseeable that certain radicals would try to occupy relevant infrastructure such as the airport, but they had the power to contain them. The Catalan police commanders were aware that tension situations would occur and were willing to act forcefully if necessary. But the intensity and experience of the violent nucleus that drives the revolt is well above the predicted.
The political vacuum in one of the most critical situations that Catalonia has experienced in recent years is clear
This time there is the cooperation of all police forces and the Mossos are not currently in the spotlight of a possible intervention by the central government. Minister Marlaska insists on each intervention in the autonomy of the Mossos and in the prevailing collaboration. But the Catalan police are alone in Catalonia, without political coverage, in the face of an unprecedented crisis. Moreover, there are few independence leaders, some with institutional positions, who have dedicated tweets with harsh criticism of their most debatable actions while the agents are still trying to contain the radicals.
The political vacuum in one of the most critical situations Catalonia has experienced in recent years is obvious, despite attempts to offer a control image. The Government is paralyzed, unable to manage from what is happening or to offer convincing explanations to citizens, whether or not they are independentists. Private recognition of the absence of institutional leadership is constant. Among the consellers there is confusion. Internal criticisms of President Quim Torra are widespread. It is also true that some JxCat leaders are comfortable with the situation, convinced that the response to the sentence must be as exceptional as possible, but they are a minority.
There are almost no members of the Government that support the president. Distrust has also been installed among the consellers. ERC considers the legislature finalized, but for the moment it will not take any steps to provoke an announcement of electoral advance that, if it arrived, would place the polls in Catalonia a few weeks after the generals of November 10. In the Government the feeling of end of stage spreads. Or not knowing what route to take from now.
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