![]() Junts’s rhetoric has also been criticised by the ERC, which governs Catalonia. “Do Spain’s leftwing voters agree with immigration powers being transferred to a party has called xenophobic?” asked Feijóo. The prime minister’s decision to cede to Junts’s demands was condemned by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative opposition People’s party (PP). Three years later, the socialist leader accused some Junts candidates of spouting “hatred and xenophobia” reminiscent of the discourse of Spain’s far-right Vox party. Six years ago, Sánchez compared Quim Torra – the Junts MP who was then serving as Catalan president and a man with a long history of vehemently anti-Spanish pronouncements – to the far-right French politician Marine Le Pen. Sánchez’s latest concession raised eyebrows – not least because the prime minister has previously attacked Junts for its nationalism and alleged xenophobia. Jordi Turull, Junts’s general secretary, has recently linked immigration with crime, saying Catalonia needs to be able to deport immigrants who reoffend.Īlthough Junts hailed the concession as a “comprehensive” handover of migration powers, the prime minister has insisted that the central government will continue to manage borders and decide policy. Congress is voting on the profoundly divisive amnesty bill on Tuesday.Įarlier this month, Sánchez obtained Junts’s backing during the first key debate of the new legislature by promising Catalonia a far greater say in migration matters. Junts, which is led by the former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, has made it very plain that it intends to exact as much as it can in return for its continuing support of Sánchez’s administration. ![]() Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, secured a second term in office after last July’s inconclusive general elections by offering a controversial amnesty to Catalan separatists in return for the support of the two main regional pro-independence parties: the hardline, centre-right Junts party and the more moderate Catalan Republican Left (ERC). While the mayor remains a political outlier, immigration is once again returning to the political fore as Spain prepares for June’s European elections. In my opinion, the customs and values of Islam are incompatible with being Catalan.” Orriols, who has faced frequent accusations of Islamophobia, told the Guardian she believed Muslims could never become Catalans because “they don’t integrate with the country’s culture and values. The central government’s delegate to Catalonia has warned that the withholding or delay of empadronamiento could “constitute a violation of existing laws”, and has asked for explanations within 20 days. “Based on the information gathered, the commission will assess the need for further actions, as appropriate.” “The commission has contacted the Spanish authorities to gather more information on this matter,” said a commission spokesperson. The claims are now being examined by both the European Commission and the Spanish government. Given that the only documentation required to register is proof of residence and valid ID, it’s not clear how such a suspicion would arise. “The police are only involved when there is a suspicion that the property is over-occupied.” “Everyone is treated the same the procedure is the same for everyone,” she told the Guardian. Orriols denies claims that council staff have been instructed to stall immigrants’ applications. When I asked what didn’t correspond, they refused to tell me.”įazeel said that while he had eventually received his empadronamiento six weeks later, he had heard of other people struggling to get on the register. “I had two visits from the police who said the information I’d provided didn’t correspond with my situation. “After living in Barcelona, when I returned to Ripoll I had all sorts of problems getting registered, even though I’m a homeowner,” he said. Obtaining the document is normally a formality, but Fazeel – who was born in Pakistan but has lived in Spain for 20 years and now runs an electronics and mobile phone business in Ripoll – said the process in the town had become fraught. But since Sílvia Orriols, the leader of the far-right Aliança Catalana, won the mayoral election in the Catalan town of Ripoll last May, there have been reports of immigrants having their empadronamiento applications held up or queried.
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