The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and also Government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, has attributed this Monday to the far-right the responsibility for the disturbances and violent episodes recorded in Spain in recent days. Although she has emphasized that the looting on Saturday night in Barcelona must be thoroughly investigated, she has reiterated that "those who benefit, in chaos and hatred, are the far-right."
Saiz expressed herself in these terms in an interview on Cadena Ser, reported by Europa Press, when questioned about the origin of the violent incidents occurring in different parts of the country and, in particular, about what happened in Barcelona last weekend.
First of all, the spokesperson for the Executive has condemned "without reservations" the violence and has stressed that "there is no room for any type of violence, neither looting, nor physical injuries, nor against urban furniture." She also recalled that the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, have already warned that responsibilities will be clarified and that the parents of the minors involved "will have to feel addressed."
At the same time, she wanted to distinguish "what has happened in Barcelona from other movements that arise from civil society, which in an absolutely legitimate way claim rights such as the defense of public education or access to affordable housing."
Criticism of Feijóo for his "irresponsible statements"
In this context, Saiz has described as "absolutely irresponsible" the words of the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has suggested a supposed collusion of the Government with violence.
Feijóo stated this weekend that the Executive is "resisting to abandon power with violence," and claimed that "Sánchez is playing with fire," with the fire of the "social discontent that he has provoked" and of "the violence that he is not stopping."
When asked if there is desperation in a Government that refuses to leave power, the minister has dissociated the Executive from the disturbances and has warned that, when looking for those responsible, it is "important to see who benefits from these episodes."
"What I would say is that when it comes to finding culprits, there will undoubtedly be an investigation into what has happened in Barcelona, but when it comes to finding culprits, I would ask myself the question of who benefits from these episodes," said the spokesperson for the Executive, who then answered herself: "who benefits, in chaos and in hatred, is the far right."
Elma Saiz has delved into this "reflection" by stating that "when chaos, hatred, and misinformation are sown, there is always a winner, which is the far right."
After reiterating her strong condemnation of violence, she reproached Feijóo for not rejecting it "with firmness" in the case of the protests outside the PSOE headquarters, especially at the federal headquarters on Ferraz street in Madrid. She also criticized the attitude of the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for referring, as she said, disrespectfully to the teachers who are taking to the streets.
Investigation of the looting in Barcelona and the role of social media
In relation to the looting on Saturday in Barcelona, Saiz reiterated that "all responsibilities" will be analyzed and that the events will be investigated and clarified. She did not want to attribute the incidents to any foreign interference for now, considering that "all investigations" must be completed.
"It is always important that we work with realities, we cannot make speculations on issues as sensitive as this," she emphasized, before pointing out the relevance of social media as a tool to "amplify rumors and misinformation."
For this reason, she defended the need to "put on the table that transparency of the algorithm, that access of minors to social media with control, with pedagogy." She assured that this is precisely the path that the Government is following, promoting regulation of the digital environment to ensure that it is a safe space.
In any case, she did not want to comment on a possible influence of the Israeli lobby in Spain, after the warnings from the organization ACOM, Action and Communication on the Middle East, which alerted that the Government's complacency with the intifada would transfer it to the streets of Barcelona. Saiz limited herself to stating that it is an issue that must be analyzed, insisting on the role of social media in "many of the things that are happening."