The Catalan political prisoners landed in the election campaign on Friday evening just hours after leaving Lledoners penitentiary under their newly-granted Level 3 prison leave regime. Thus, jailed Catalan government ministers Jordi Turull and Josep Rull took to the hustings in Reus for their first rally ahead of the 14th February parliamentary elections. It was the same city where they opened the Together for Catalonia (JxCat) campaign for the 2017 Catalan elections in quite similar circumstances - a judge had just released them on bail from Madrid's Estremera prison. Tonight the prisoners also had the opportunity to hear the powerful intervention which the number one on the JxCat list, Carles Puigdemont, dedicated to rival pro-independence party ERC, without at any time explicitly mentioning the Republican Left by name, but leaving no doubt about who his barbs were being thrown at.
Puigdemont recalled that JxCat had voted against the investiture of Pedro Sánchez as Spanish prime minister and opposed the passing of his budget because it knew "he was taking us for a ride" and he assured that JxCat will always act against these attempts whether they come from the right or the left. Puigdemont contrasted his party's decision with the ERC vote: “Others portrayed themselves as the smartest and most decisive, and they made deals in Madrid for a few crumbs, thinking that in Madrid they would be seen as shining beacons and would inspire a change in the treatment that the state dispenses to us."
It was a speech that deviated from the JxCat campaign strategy, which avoids confrontation with ERC, but in this case there was no hesitation about making a criticism without qualifiers.
According to Puigdemont, those who presented themselves as "the solvers of historical conflicts" and criticized JxCat for their attitude today are "angry because those to whom they gave their budget support have left them high and dry" and, in addition, Pedro Sánchez has no problem accepting the votes of Vox, a party he described as the most arrogant far right party in Europe.
"You can't serve two republics at the same time and hope that everything will turn out well and at JxCat we are clear about which republic we are loyal to, the well-being of which we must guarantee and ensure. We are committed to Catalonia," he warned in an intervention in which he also criticised the Socialists and the Comuns.
Borràs's demand to Sánchez
The effective JxCat candidate for the Catalan presidency, Laura Borràs, did not pick up the thread of Puigdemont's criticisms of the party's ERC government partners, but she did target the judicial system. "We've had enough of judges doing politics, enough of this mockery and shame," she said.
In front of the prisoners, Borràs demanded that Pedro Sánchez prevent the public prosecutors from lodging an appeal against the new prison regime which allowed them to leave their cells on Friday morning.
The candidate recalled that the prisoners have spent much more time in prison under a PSOE government than they did under the previous PP administration, and she called for an amnesty so that it could become "a zero moment" in the political confrontation. "We've had enough of the PSOE being made out to be 'the good guys' in the movie when in fact they're the bad guys in politics," she joked.
"We're on our feet"
The prisoners themselves made particularly moving addresses at the rally, but they were also forceful. "We're very sorry, mister prosecutor, and gentlemen of the state, we are still here on our feet," Turull warned.
Turull spoke of the struggle of previous generations, and advised that history is once again calling on Catalanism to react. "Now they are not dressed in military gear, they are dressed in judge's robes. We have gone from the physical castration of Catalan institutions, and of the will of the Catalans - of many years ago - to the chemical castration of Catalan institutions and the will of the Catalans. And in the face of that, reaction or resignation? So clearly, we propose reaction to you", he underlined. The pro-independence leader demanded the vote on 14th February so that "those who want us devastated are democratically overwhelmed."
Josep Rull recalled moments they had experienced in prison, but also insisted that his was a discourse to speak of "dignity, hope, determination and strength". "These are the attributes of Catalan independence. We don't stop anyone from having their say, nor do we lock anyone in prison, nor do we handcuff anyone. The most powerful instrument we have in front of us are the ballot boxes. This is our strength," he affirmed.
Elections imposed by the Court
The head of JxCat's Tarragona list, Albert Batet, recalled that three years ago the party had also opened its campaign in Reus, that Rull and Turull were also there and that, as then, "they are still political prisoners"; he recalled that those were also imposed elections, in that case by Article155, and he said: "Today we are going to elections on 14th February because elections were imposed by the Catalan High Court for party interests". “There are things that don’t change,” he joked.
Turull, Borràs, Batet and Rull in the streets of Reus / M.L.
As at the earlier event held to paste up campaign posters, some of the speeches in the Reus rally were made by videoconference and, among others, the number two of the candidacy, Teresa Pallarès, who is recovering from leukemia, took part via digital media.
Before the event, the prisoners took a stroll through Reus, just as they did four years ago. This time, however, in the midst of a pandemic that has forced them to abandon the campaign on the street. It was a discreet walk with masks coverng faces, but it did not prevent people from recognizing them and many approached them. At the door of the venue where the event was held without an audience, a few dozen people received the prisoners with chants of "Freedom!".
In the main image, Rull, Borràs, Turull and Batet, before the start of the event / ACN