The Backdrop: Ricard Vinyes Square, a Surprising Setting
In the Ricard Vinyes square, a place normally dedicated to the music of the great masters of Lleida, the atmosphere was very different this afternoon. The sound of the song “Y viva España” by Manolo Escobar filled the air, announcing the beginning of the VOX electoral rally.
An Eclectic Crowd: Youth and Tradition Intertwine
Among the attendees, there was an eclectic mix of young and old. Guys with earrings and girls who looked like they were straight out of an alternative music podcast mingled with older men in khaki jackets and Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. However, they all had a common element: the sticker of the Spanish flag, a symbol of nostalgia and pride.
A Surprising Encounter: The Llibreter Patriota and his Books
While I was walking through the square, a young man in a beige Harrington jacket approached me, offering me a copy of “The Spain We Want,” an anthology of texts by José Calvo Sotelo. He explained to me that he was a great patriot and that the cover of the book represented the Catalan volunteers in the Moroccan War.
A Discourse from the Past: Appeals to Tradition and the Countryside
The first speeches of the event, delivered by Toni López and Rafael Villafranca, evoked a Carlist speech, appealing to the defense of the countryside, the preservation of traditional customs and the rejection of the progress of the 2030 Agenda.
The Digital Age at a Traditional Rally
Despite the nostalgia of the speech, the atmosphere was marked by technology. Attendees recorded videos and took photos with their mobile phones, documenting the event for social media.
Ignacio Garriga: A Presidential Candidate with a Surprising Message
When Ignacio Garriga took the stage, the crowd erupted in cheers of “president, president!” However, his speech contained a paradox: while he defended the elimination of autonomies, he aspired to be president of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
Santiago Abascal: A Rhapsody of Short Phrases and Controversial Messages
Santiago Abascal, the leader of VOX, appeared on stage to a standing ovation. He spoke in short, forceful sentences, like a rapper in a cockfight. He defended an inclusive “Leridanism”, but also criticized illegal immigration and the wearing of the veil in public, presenting it as a question of freedom for women.
Pablo Hasél: A Silenced Rapper and Freedom of Expression
While listening to Abascal’s speech, I couldn’t help but think of Pablo Hasél, a rapper imprisoned for his anti-monarchy lyrics. The freedom that Abascal spoke of seemed not to include the right to freedom of expression, a right that Hasél had seen violated.
A Song of Nostalgia and Division
At the end of the event, a young man wearing a t-shirt that said “So that Catalonia can be Catalonia again” applauded enthusiastically. However, the message he had heard in Lleida was more of a song telling Catalonia to stop being Catalonia, a mixture of nostalgia for the past and longing for a different future.