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As the PSOE reaches a variety of deals with numerous political parties across the spectrum in order to secure Sánchez’s reinstatement as Spain’s prime minister, tensions rise to almost unseen levels, at least since democracy was restored in the Spanish State following the death of Franco in the late seventies.
Over the past week, protests have occurred throughout the territory against the deal reached between the interim Spanish government and Catalan separatists, which would grant amnesty to over 2000 people involved in the planning and delivery of the 2017 breakaway attempt as well as the numerous protests that followed until 2019. Although protests happened all over the country, the largest portion of people congregated in Madrid, the country’s capital, around the vicinities of the Socialist Party’s national headquarters. Thousands of people, an ‘angry mob’ some would say, took to the headquarters in Ferraz’ street to proclaim their displeasure with the government’s dealings with what they consider “traitors” to the nation.
A demonstration that was attended by members of the far-right party Vox and various fascist and neo-fascist groups – including Falange, the former party of the Francoist regime, National Democracy, Frontal Bastion, Hogar Social (Social Home), Making a Nation and Desokupa – and which was somewhat directly supported by the Popular Party, the current leaders of the opposition, proving that the symbiosis between both political parties has finally occurred, that the facade of moderation which Feijoo attempted to portray when he reached leadership of the PP has evaporated completely.
Chants were definitely varied and a clear reflection of the type of people that attended the protests. The usual rhetoric against Sánchez and his party was heard, branding them as betrayers to the nation and its people, yet a variety of new ones – at least in what claimed to be a ‘civilized’ protest – were also present. From calls against the supposed conversion of Spain into a Muslim country – which blatantly seem to ignore the 800 years of history the territory shares with the faith -, exclamations about how the Spanish press manipulates – which may have been appropriated from left-wing circles – to the more extreme and previously repudiated raising of the hands to sing the Cara el Sol (a fascist anthem). Homophobic slurs against the gay Minister of the Interior were also a key topic at these. The use of anti-constitutional flags with the eagle seems to be a recurring theme that goes largely unpunished by the judiciary as they made their presence known at the protests along with different ‘patriotic’ symbols including the Carlist flag – in reference not to the claimant to the Spanish throne but to the empire -, Spanish ‘rojigualdas’ with the sacred heart in the middle alongside flags which claimed that the constitution was destroying the nation (ironic), accompanied by various symbols attached to neo-fascists movements, including one which directly references the Wolfsangel, a nazi symbol used by the Waffen-SS although in a slightly customised form.
Giving a similar energy to the protestors at the storming of the Capitol in Washington DC on the 6th of January 2021, violence erupted as some of the people attempted to break through the protection barrier created by the riot police and the latter retaliated with the use of batons and tear gas. With what could only be considered as a reminiscence of the “man with horns” but in a much more Spanish tone – a man with a ‘tercio’ helmet, evocative of those worn by the troops in the reigns of the Catholic monarchs and the Habsburgs – and their very own Captain Spain, thanks to a man cosplaying as the country’s version of Captain America with his own shield, the tone was set. Other protagonists of the events include the woman who attempted to escape detention from a police van whilst claiming that she had to go and pick up her kids, yet she couldn’t understand how that possibly wasn’t a good enough reason to be let go, as well as the youth who cried about being tear-gassed for “fucking defending Spain” and Vox’s Bertrand Ndongo with his very own exaggeratedly dramatised rendition of a hayfever attack in front of the cameras. Even though the protests have left a portion of the Spanish population with a large amount of material to laugh at, they are also a clear display of how right-wing rhetoric has permeated society and the rise of far and alt-right narratives in the Western world.
The cries of indignation that followed the police’s use of force to hold the protective barrier and disperse the rowdy crowd were heard not only in the city’s centre but throughout social media, including Musk’s X and their diverse channels on Telegram. Shock over the use of tear gas against ‘patriots’ who were only defending the country the police had sworn to protect. Claims that said police had thus betrayed the motherland. Betrayed them, the true defenders of the Spanish spirit, the Spanish soul.
Ironically, the protestors who cried wolf when it happened to them, had no problems when others have had to deal with that treatment. Because they are that, the ‘Other’. Different. Not patriotic enough. Not Catholic enough. Not Castilian enough. So very different from what their ideal for a Spaniard should be. The ‘patriot, who will vehemently defend the idea that Spain should rise up to defend its territorial integrity, but not its public health system, state schools, or condemn the state’s involvement in war crimes? Who will gladly call for a general strike to protest against a political amnesty – something which has already previously occurred in the post-Francoist era – but will criticise those who abide by their constitutional right to follow a general strike to defend their labour rights?
As the situation progresses and we await the debate that will start Sánchez’s term as prime minister this coming week, one wonders, what are these people willing to do to ‘defend’ Spain?
Image: Con Santiago Abascal en Sol y en Ferraz by Vox España, 12.11.2023 // CC0 1.0 DEED
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