A hotel business association has given a curious gift to 200 of the Spanish police deployed to Catalonia for the 1st October referendum: a free weekend in Murcia on 13th and 14th April this year. The initiative, by Hostetur (the Association of Hotel Industry and Tourist Accomodation Businesspeople of the Costa Cálida), will see agents staying in hotels and apartments in the towns of Mazarrón, San Pedro del Pinatar, La Manga and Águilas, among others in the south-western autonomous community of Murcia.
Delegado del Gobierno, @bernabepaco, agradece a @HOSTETUR la iniciativa que permitirá a 210 agentes desplazados a Cataluña durante el desafío independentista disfrutar de un fin de semana gratis en la Región los días 13, 14 y 15 de abrilhttps://t.co/NMYU8d6iZw pic.twitter.com/QtqpbPYa8u
— DelegGobMurcia (@DelegGobMurcia) 6 février 2018
Translation: The delegate of the [Spanish] government [to Murcia], Francisco Bernabé, thanks Hostetur for their initiative which will allow 210 agents deployed to Catalonia during the independence challenge to enjoy a free weekend in the region on the 13th, 14th and 15th April.
The Spanish government's delegate to Murcia, Francisco Bernabé, celebrated the decision at an event held by the association. "In the name of the [Spanish] government I wanted to communicate my gratitude to the president of Hostetur for this sincere show of recognition of the extraordinary work the state's security forces carried out in Catalonia during the secessionist challenge". Bernabé went on to express regret that it couldn't be extended to all the agents deployed in Catalonia.
"Between the 30 establishments which form Hostetur, we've given these 210 weekends to the agents and their partners. As well as different leisure and cultural activities, we'll hold an appreciation dinner which they will all attend alongside institutional representatives of Murcia", said the association's president, Maria del Mar Martínez. The controversy is served.