The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, appeared this Thursday in Parliament to report on the appointment of the advisors of his new government. But, due to different circumstances, his appearance gave much more of itself. Illa guaranteed, among other things, that the new financing model will be carried out and assured that “Catalonia does not want to be more or less than anyone else.”
The Catalan Chamber also witnessed at least one episode of xenophobia yesterday. It was the turn of MP Sílvia Orriols, from the far-right Aliança Catalana party. Orriols accused the socialist of wanting to denationalise Catalonia and also took advantage of his moment to launch an Islamophobic attack on ERC MP Najat Driouech, whom he criticised for wearing the hijab in Parliament. “They denounce discrimination against women and allow entry to a woman who displays Muslim misogyny,” Orriols said, referring to the Republican representative.
Illa did not let these words go and responded harshly to Orriols in his reply. “You are not someone to give lessons on who is Catalan and who is not,” the president began. “As president of Catalonia, for my government, whoever comes to improve Catalonia is as Catalan as you and me and has the same rights and duties as all of us,” he assured.
“You beat me with hate speech, you beat me by dissolving coexistence in Catalonia, you didn’t beat me and you didn’t teach me a lesson about work. I tell you: I work harder than you, I am a harder worker than you; “I don’t admit any lessons to you on this,” the president continued. “Learn education and learn to respect institutions,” Illa asked, addressing Orriols, also mayor of Ripoll.
The president of the Generalitat assured that he would be “especially attentive to the fact that the citizens of Ripoll who do not share his hate speech [de Orriols] find effective policies within the government of the Generalitat. “I will be vigilant, as president of Catalonia, about what you do as mayor. You will respect the law, whether you like it or not,” Illa said.
The highlight of his speech came when the president mentioned ERC MP Najat Driouech, whom Orriols attacked for wearing a hijab. “Representative Najat, who is not from my political party, does not give you ten thoughts, she does not give you a hundred thoughts, she gives you a thousand thoughts,” Salvador Illa replied to Sílvia Orriols, to which the Republican representative responded with a gesture of thanks from his seat.
