Operation Narrative

Esther Vera
1 min

First it was the contempt that stems from the arrogance bestowed by centuries of power-wielding. Then came Operation Catalonia and the fake reports “fine-tuned” by the prosecutor's office. Later still, they staged Operation Dialogue, which basically involved dropping Llanos de Luna and trips to Barcelona by the Spanish Vice-president accompanied by Enric Millo, who should not rule out the possibility of ending up as viceroy some day, given the pace of threats from Madrid.

Now we are witnessing a new operation focused on winning the narrative. With the aim of holding a referendum on independence, the Catalan government has framed its demand around democratic respectability, while the Spanish government is now focused on casting doubt on the legitimacy of the process. That is what Rajoy is hoping to achieve when he states that he "will not tolerate" the defiance of a referendum because it is illegal and antidemocratic. When his Defense Minister speaks of the Catalan Parliament's "coup d'état" (if it passes the Law of Legal Transitoriness, the contents of which are still unknown), she is also endorsing the same strategy. It will be essential for Catalonia’s public opinion to know, in advance and in detail, what Parliament is aiming to pass.

Meanwhile, it is always a step in the right direction when the leadership of the PP is protesting generically against military coups. It is a historic step, especially after watching Spain’s former Justice Minister with other pall-bearers at his father-in-law’s funeral amidst cries of "Cara al sol" (a fascist anthem) only a few months ago. Meanwhile, Franco’s remains are off-limits in his sinister mausoleum, despite the opinion of a Congressional majority. They are making progress.

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