Exile yourselves
Casado was not ashamed to say something that is linked to the worst European traditions
AuthorWhen Pablo Casado (1) invited Catalan independence supporters to exile themselves, he put himself on the dark side of European history. The worst episodes of European history have occurred when —in the name of unity— ideological, religious, linguistic, or ethnic minorities were invited to exile themselves. Either you convert —give up being who you are and become one of us— or you can leave.
It happened at the beginning of the modern age with Jews and Moriscos. It has happened throughout Europe, sadly, many times. On the contrary, the good moments in European history were those in which freedom and the rights of minorities were respected, as long as everyone accepted the criteria of the majority. For Pablo Casado, Catalan independence supporters are an ideological minority in Spain. Even though they might be the majority in Catalonia. In his way of thinking, Casado was not ashamed to say something that connects with the worst European traditions. From a position of totality and uniformity, inviting those who don’t fit in to leave. Showing them the door, so that everything remaining within is what it was meant to be. Today, in Europe, this is the sort of language used by the far right, outside of the democratic framework. What do you call someone who uses the language of the far right?
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Translator's note:
(1) Pablo Casado is Vice-Secretary for Communication for the Partido Popular, and current candidate for President of the PP.
