One of the most striking milestones of the cynicism in which politics in Spain has become entrenched took place during the electoral campaign in Catalonia. After months of stirring up grievances about the amnesty for the independence movement, its alleged unconstitutionality, and the myth of breaking equality among Spaniards, it turns out that during the campaign for the presidency of the Generalitat, the issue barely even surfaced in the rallies. It was a conflict barely addressed, among other things because an overwhelming majority of Catalans are convinced that granting amnesty to those persecuted for their involvement in the independence movement is a step towards coexistence and normalcy. Whether you agree or disagree, the absence of debate during the Catalan campaign gives an idea of the artificiality with which the amnesty issue is handled in the rest of Spain. There is no greater manipulation than stoking controversy when it suits you and then letting it rest when it is not convenient. Interestingly, during the Catalan campaign, the fire that was profitable to ignite was that of hatred towards immigrants, which proved to be lucrative in terms of votes.
The tremendous lack of understanding in Europe towards Spanish judicial policies regarding the leaders of the independence movement reached its peak when three countries, one after the other, refused to extradite Puigdemont on charges of rebellion, despite repeated arrest warrants. The situation descended into absurdity when Puigdemont obtained his seat in the European Parliament without opposition. Only the European People’s Party leader, Manfred Weber, repeated the mantras written in Spanish offices without offering anything more than being totally lost in translation or drowning in the bile of translation. No one knows if amnesty is constitutional or not, partly because the prestige of the courts in Spain has plummeted since the General Council of the Judiciary was blocked. What is healing is that Puigdemont was able to run in the Catalan elections and came in second. There is no greater success of democracy than the possibility for each candidate to run and for the ballot boxes to reflect their level of popular support.
What should concern us more is the manipulation of basic emotions. As the campaign for the European elections begins, we will surely hear essentialist terms about the unity of Spain that were not even mentioned in the recently concluded Basque and Catalan debates. In this cynical apocalypse where odd days are chaos and even days are normalcy, we have been stuck for too long. It is time to move on, as this situation has become stale. The approval of amnesty is a step towards normalizing in the Cortes what is normal on Paseo de Gracia. We have more pressing issues that violate our Constitution much more violently, such as the lack of housing, the deterioration of the healthcare system, educational disparities, and xenophobia. These are issues that will not be discussed during the campaign.
