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Esteban Gesa, the head of the Partido Popular in the Catalan city of Sabadell, and a former local councillor, has attacked the city council for booking pop-rock group Obeses to perform at Sabadell's festa major. He says the Catalan group is one of a number that are "very marked by support for independence".

Speaking to press for the start of the new political year, Gesa also singled out one of the group's songs, "Ens en sortirem" ("We'll make it"), a homage to the 2017 independence referendum. He said that "we cannot allow the musical groups and everything around the festa major to have a political component".

 

Gesa also criticised the city's mayor, Marta Farrés (PSOE), who didn't answer whether it was her or the previous council which booked the group. "I don't know if they'll have set it up themselves or won't have had time, but we see again in Sabadell that's it's not a festa major for everyone," he said.

The group itself has responded to Gesa on Twitter, writing: "It doesn't seem okay to the censor Esteban Gesa that we as OBESES should offer our music at Sabadell's festa major. We're sorry for him. We'll continue defending culture and liberty wherever we go, even though there are those it bothers." They close by welcoming everyone to their performance at 8pm this Saturday.