During the annual offering at the Montjuïc Cemetery in front of the grave of Francesc Macià, Jordi Turull called for the unity of the independence movement and ensured that the current situation of Spanish institutions allows the independence movement to strive for greater progress for Catalonia. According to El Periódico, the general secretary of the Junts highlighted what he believes represents a pronounced weakening of state organizations, including the government and the judiciary, a situation that, in his opinion, opens a political opportunity for those who defend Catalan self-determination.
The impact of this act was marked by Turull’s reaction to King Felipe VI’s recent statements. who called in his traditional Christmas message to avoid “extremism, radicalism and populism”. The Junts leader questioned the monarch’s legitimacy to issue such warnings and called it “surreal” that Felipe VI. makes such calls while, in his own words, radically opposing the attempts of Catalan society to express its will in the elections. This statement refers directly to the institutional reaction following the referendum of October 1, 2017. The Junts secretary considered that the king was the one who “contributed most to the tensions and extremism against democratic coexistence” during this period, a point that, according to El Periódico, aims to highlight the contradictions in the head of state’s speech.
In his statements Turull explicitly stated that Felipe VI. with his speech supported the legal action after 1-O, which was known in the media as “go for them” and referred to the demand for a state response to the independence process. “Felipe VI has no credibility whatsoever,” the leader said, according to a publication by El Periódico, accusing him of lacking the moral authority to warn against radicalism, according to his interpretation.
As part of the traditional offering to commemorate Macià – republican president and emblematic figure of Catalanism – Turull emphasized Junt’s intention to maintain a political approach based on the legacy of historical leaders and figures such as the linguist Pompeu Fabra. The newspaper El Periódico reported that with these references Turull emphasized the dignity and commitment of his education in the face of the challenges facing Catalan institutions.
Regarding the state’s political situation, Turull highlighted the perception of a multi-sectoral deterioration within the central organs of the state. As El Periódico explained and reported, the Catalan independence movement must take advantage of this institutional moment, which it believes is characterized by a decline in the legitimacy and capabilities of the government and the judiciary, to achieve its most ambitious goals. He called for “achieving the maximum for Catalonia” and stressed the need for common strategies and coordination between the sovereignist forces.
Turull’s intervention is part of the atmosphere of recurring tensions between the royal family’s positions on territorial unity and the demands of the secessionist sector. As El Periódico reports, the context chosen for these demonstrations – the traditional meeting at Macià’s grave – reinforces the symbolic weight of the messages of Junts, who in his speech focuses on the democratic demand and the questioning of the current authority of the state in Catalan affairs.
According to El Periódico, the king’s Christmas message was intended to highlight the need to maintain stability and political consensus, although the reaction from independence advocates such as Turull points to ongoing disagreements over Spain’s institutional course and the role of the monarchy in the context of recent events in Catalonia.
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