It's not a coincidence that Ciudadanos should call a demonstration in rejection of violence which ends up seeing attacks and at least one person injured. It's not a coincidence that only a few hundred people should attend and that the far right should end up taking control of the rally. It's not a coincidence that a journalist should be injured, be punched four times and have to be evacuated. It's not a coincidence that at the start of the attack there were shouts against TV3, the Catalan public TV station, and a camera operator for Telemadrid should be violently attacked because a sticker was confused by the violent mob for a yellow loop. It's not a coincidence that a person present at the Ciutadella park should shout "fascists out" to the demonstrators and, in response, be kicked until the Urban Guard intervene.
It's NOT a coincidence that the leader of the opposition in the Catalan Parliament, Inés Arrimadas, should take the opportunity to criticise TV3 and the other public Catalan media outlets the same day she was interviewed on El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio, the radio station's star program. It's not a coincidence that, to keep their whole strategy of tension in Catalonia alive, she should refuse to meet with the Catalan president, Quim Torra, in the government palace unless he removes the banner reading Llibertat dels presos politícs, "Freedom for the political prisoners". It's not a coincidence that every time Els Segadors, the Catalan anthem, is sung and she's present, she makes an ostentatious show of not taking part and staying silent. It's not a coincidence that the attack on photojournalist Jordi Borràs has not been penalised by the Spanish police.
It's not a coincidence that Albert Rivera and Arrimadas should take confrontational rhetoric with them wherever they go, and that all their media firepower should be aimed at dividing Catalan society and taking advantage of any spark of tension there might be. It's not a coincidence that Rivera and Arrimadas should go to Alella simply to take down yellow loops hours after uniformed unionist squads with their faces covered do the same in various places around Girona.
It's not a coincidence that Ciudadanos should be behind all this climate which looks to scare the pro-independence sector of Catalan society and keep them from the streets. It's not a coincidence that it should be the organiser of these gatherings and its supporters should be the attackers. It's not a coincidence.