THE PURITY OF THE BLOOD IN CATALONIA
Maragall affirms that CiU bases its ideology on “purity of blood”
Article from “EL PERIODICO de Catalunya” – MONDAY, MAY 12, 2003
Pasqual Maragall was once again the protagonist of an electoral campaign in which he is not a candidate when he reproached CiU for basing his Catalan identity on “purity of blood and lineage” as opposed to the “purity of heart” that, he said, the Socialists defend, although not explicitly cited the nationalist federation, its leaders were quickly taken for granted and reacted indignantly. People who in the 60s and their descendants, whose contribution to Catalonia praised: «This neighborhood was also started by the Murcians (Spanish or “Charnegos” from other regions of Spain) and that is why I am proud to say out loud that we are all Catalans. “Let’s see if there are first-class Catalans and second-class Catalans!” He said. As an appetizer of what would be the autumn electoral campaign, Maragall accused CiU this Thursday, in Tortosa, of relying territorially on the bosses of the Franco era.
IMMIGRANTS
It was the delicate issue of immigration from other regions of Spain. «Normally we talk about the fact that there are some (in reference to CiU) who think about the past, about the Catalonia of eternity, which comes from afar. And others, us, who talk about the Catalonia of the present and the future. But it turns out that the Catalonia that was created by the people who arrived 40 years ago is also the Catalonia of the past. The plural past of Catalonia is also Murcia, he said, using the term with which some in the past designated immigrants from southern Spain.
Pujol accuses the PSC leader of attacking the coexistence of interests
Pasqual Maragall (Former Socialist President of Catalonia)
Yesterday Pasqual Maragall unleashed the anger of the CiU leaders. Jordi Pujol accused the socialist leader of committing “a serious lack of ethical character” and of “shaking the basis of coexistence and Catalan institutions” by defining, out of electoral interest, the Catalans of CiU as exclusive because it is based on ” “purity of blood.” and lineage.
“That’s a lie and it’s dirty,” responded an indignant Pujol. Maragall’s speech, he added, “is more typical of a COPE announcer than of an aspiring president of the Generalitat.” And Artur Mas accused him of being a “verbal terrorist”, compared him to Aleix Vidal-Quadras, former president of the PP in Catalonia, and demanded that he apologize.
After hearing Maragall’s words, Pujol harshly attacked him for putting “his finger on the sore spot” of an issue, such as the integration of immigrants, in which all parties have worked to “solve it positively.”
NEIGHBORHOODS IN CONFLICT
Pujol criticized Maragall for opening that can of thunder when precisely the PSC was the most interested in signing an agreement between all the parties not to use the new immigration electorally. The socialists, Pujol argued in Girona, did not agree to talk about it because it is problematic in the neighborhoods they control
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