The head of the ERC list for the general elections, Gabriel Rufián, has condemned the scenes of violence recorded this Saturday in the center of Barcelona and has pointed directly to the far-right sectors: "We need to know exactly what happened and, if it benefits the far-right, it is quite likely that the far-right is behind it," he stated.
These statements were made to the media after the presentation of his book "Cómo ganar a los fachas" (Now Books) at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona this Sunday, at an event moderated by journalist Àngels Barceló.
Rufián emphasized that no political cause justifies the use of violence and warned that there are states that, according to him, are dedicated to generating instability: "It smells like a state operation from here," he said.
Furthermore, he pointed out that "I think there are people like, well, it has already been seen, outside who want to destroy any possibility of progressive governments, in this case in the State or in Catalonia," and stressed that order and security are values that the left must also defend. In this sense, he labeled as "damned" those who, in his opinion, take advantage of the discontent of youth.
During the presentation of his book, when asked about the looting of businesses during the riots, he insisted that those who carry out these thefts are "thieves" and not activists.
BEING PRESIDENT OF THE GENERALITAT
At the same event, the republican candidate addressed his future plans and expressed his desire to reach the presidency of the Generalitat once the president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, has done so: "I want Junqueras to be president of my country," he emphasized.
He also expressed his wish for the ERC candidate for the mayoralty of Barcelona, Elisenda Alamany, to become mayor and reiterated, as he did this Saturday at the first joint pre-campaign event with the Podemos candidate, Irene Montero, that "there is no correct way to be Catalans."
Looking ahead to the general elections on November 29, he warned that trusting that a potential Government of the PP and Vox would not have an impact on Catalonia is a "negligence."
UNITY OF THE LEFT
When asked about the unity of the leftist forces, he emphasized that his goal is for all parties in this area to do well: "This was about submitting the PSOE," he pointed out.
He added that for the PSOE "it's fine for them" to win in number of votes, but that the key will be with which formations they can add after the elections.
He insisted that he never intended to position himself as the leader of the Spanish left and that the purpose was not "to change the name of a party that already existed," but to promote formulas of cooperation among the different lefts.
In addition, he rejected that the agreement between ERC and Podemos blocked an understanding with the rest of the progressive forces: "And Más Madrid and Sumar, why not?", he emphasized, defending that each party maintains its own initials.