A case of much ado about nothing
Barcelona city center shut down for Spanish cabinet meeting that produces little more than political gestures
The Spanish government held its cabinet meeting in Barcelona as a sign of “affection and love” towards the city, said spokeswoman Isabel Celaá after the meeting. But making the meeting possible required police shutting down the area around the Llotja de Mar where it was held, to stop protesters reaching it. Prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s affection extended to committing to meeting with president Quim Torra in January, while making gestures towards former presidents Josep Tarradellas and Lluís Companys. In the end, it was a case of much ado about nothing.
The day began early with Barcelona’s Born neighbourhood cut off for the meeting and strangely silent, a silence that was only broken by the sounds of protest that grew during the day. The protests went on until early afternoon, and included clashes with police, leading to a dozen arrests and 77 people wounded.
While people protested in the streets, inside the Spanish ministers approved two key measures: raising the minimum wage by 22% to 900 euros and a 2.25% rise in the salaries of two million public workers.
Yet, these measures had already been announced, and it was the other initiatives that caused surprise and disapproval from the public and Catalan government alike. The cabinet approved changing the name of Barcelona airport from El Prat to Josep Tarradellas, the first Catalan president after democracy returned to Spain, and condemned the sentence by the Franco regime that led to the execution of president Lluís Companys after the Civil War.
However, the Catalan government was not impressed, and spokeswoman, Elsa Artadi, later accused the measures of being “aesthetic” and “minor”. The only positive point taken from the whole affair was a commitment by both governments to keep on talking.