Majority rejection of Queen Letizia’s visit
Queen Letizia’s arrival at Barcelona City Council, scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, faces significant opposition from the majority of City Council councilors. In total, 25 of the 41 councilors have decided not to participate in this event. Among those who have communicated her refusal are Trias per Barcelona, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and Barcelona en Comú.
A meeting with a focus on multilingualism
Letizia is scheduled to lead a work session focused on multilingualism alongside the directors of the Cervantes Institute, marking the first official visit of the Spanish royal family to the Catalan capital in seven years, since King Felipe VI and the Queen Letizia were in the city on August 19, 2017. On that occasion, their meeting was with the then mayor, Ada Colau, to sign a book of condolences for the victims of the attacks of August 17.
Limited assistance at the actual reception
It is important to note that, due to the absence of councilors from the aforementioned groups, only representatives of parties such as the Socialist Party of Catalonia, the Popular Party and Vox are expected to be present, which together make up a total of 16 councillors. This situation reveals a political context in which a clear division is observed between those who support participation in events of the Royal Family and those who choose to reject it.
Reactions to reception
Following the announcement of the royal visit, councilors from Esquerra Republicana expressed their decision not to attend, which was followed by a similar statement from Trias per Barcelona. Councilor Josep Rius, in this sense, condemned the municipal government for once again surrendering to the Spanish monarchy by accepting the queen’s reception, where Collboni and Illa are expected to participate.
Meeting of directors of the Cervantes Institute
The Annual Meeting of Directors of the Cervantes Institute takes place in Barcelona, starting on Monday and concluding on Thursday. This event brings together more than 80 addresses from various parts of the world, with the aim of discussing current strategies for promoting the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, as well as developing future collaborations. It is a relevant occasion to analyze the dissemination of co-official languages in Spain, in a context where different voices seek to prevail.