Barcelona, Catalonia: Junts per Catalunya has reported a “disinformation and targeting campaign” by Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) to the Mossos d'Esquadra. The notification, made by Junts parliamentary group spokesperson Míriam Nogueras, comes amid escalating tensions between the two parties over Junts' rejection of a rental decree.
The dispute intensified after a controversial intervention by ERC's Gabriel Rufián in the Spanish Congress. Rufián named seven Junts deputies, stating they “do not obey their people, but their particular interests,” while holding a €50 note. This incident was followed by Junts deputy Marta Madrenas being heckled and spat at in Madrid.
Online Accusations Trigger Complaint
The complaint to the Mossos d'Esquadra specifically references a now-deleted tweet by Francesc Roca, an ERC member and municipal policy secretary in Sant Martí. Roca's tweet alleged the monthly rental incomes of Junts deputies.
Nogueras responded on X, formerly Twitter, stating, “I do not have any flat for rent (in fact, I do not have any flat). Do you still have your B structure active?” Roca's deleted tweet had claimed Nogueras received €4,200 monthly from rentals. Roca had written, “Seeing the income of their deputies, the reason is clear. Junts votes for its interests, not those of the people,” also referring to the party as “Junts pel Cash” (Junts for Cash).
Josep Maria Cruset, a Junts deputy in Madrid, criticised the campaign on social media. He wrote, “Throwing the stone and hiding the hand does not avoid defamation. Deleting a tweet after someone has already been targeted does not avoid it either.”
Puigdemont Criticises Rufián's Actions
Carles Puigdemont, president of Junts, accused Gabriel Rufián of having crossed “all lines of decency” and “dirtying the memory” of his party. Puigdemont made these remarks in an article published on X titled “The Bonfire of Irresponsibility,” in response to Rufián's statements.
Puigdemont argued that “in the Spanish Congress, all lines of decency and respect that must be observed in a parliamentary debate were crossed,” referring to Rufián's intervention without naming him directly in the article. He added that Rufián's actions “dirtied the memory of a historic party where some of the best men Catalan politics has produced in the last century have been members.”
The ongoing conflict highlights deep divisions between the two major pro-independence parties in Catalonia. Future political debates and parliamentary votes are likely to be affected by these heightened tensions.
