The King bets for Barcelona in the midst of territorial crisis and eludes criticism of secessionism

The independence movement is mobilized to express its rejection of the presence of the Monarch

    King Felipe VI appealed this Sunday in Barcelona to the «institutional cooperation» as the basis of «success» if carried out with «clear objectives and for the benefit of all». During the inauguration dinner of the world mobile salon, which this week will attract more than one hundred thousand directors of the telecommunications sector in the Catalan capital, the head of the State made a closed defense of Barcelona and its inhabitants, who stand out for his "dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit," he said, and he pleaded for the city to remain the site of the event, despite the fact that the government warned hours before secessionist tensions could harm him in this regard.

    The King, in English, Spanish and Catalan, opted for the Catalan capital as a "candidate to house the European technological center that develops 5G technology". "The history of this Congress in Barcelona is the story of a success achieved over years of work," he said. And it has been, he added, thanks to the people of Barcelona and "to the commitment and collaboration between the central government, the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council".


In his first visit to Catalonia in the last six months, Felipe VI passed by on the institutional crisis that confronts Catalonia with the rest of Spain and eluded references to the process and to the secessionist leaders, who have focused some of their most relevant speeches of the last times, like the one that pronounced the 3 of October, but also the one of Christmas, the one of the Prizes Princess of Asturias or its intervention in the Forum of Davos.

The head of the State avoided criticism of the independence movement on Sunday, trying to reduce the tension, after the controversies of the last hours, marked by the proposal of the president of the Catalan Chamber, the Mayor of Barcelona and the representatives of the Generalitat to the besamanos that the Royal House organizes every year to receive authorities and organizers of the mobile lounge.

    The King arrived accompanied by the Vice President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, and was received by the Minister of Industry, Álvaro Nadal; the delegate of the Government in Catalonia, Enric Millo, and the general director of GSMA, Mats Granryd. The president of the Parliament, Roger Torrent, and the mayor of the city, did not go to the besamanos as they had advanced on Saturday, but were at the subsequent dinner, held at the Palau de la Música and surrounded by strong security measures, the independence movement was mobilized in the street to protest the presence of the monarch, which the independence movement gave him a loud cacerolada in the environment of the Palau.

    The last time the Head of State visited Barcelona was on August 28. It was to attend the demonstration of rejection of the attacks on the Ramblas and Cambrils. Felipe VI was then received with whistles and boos by the independentistas, who filled the head of the march of 'esteladas' and posters against the monarchy and the central government. As six months ago, the independence movement again mobilized to express its rejection. On this occasion there were police charges and there were injuries. «Outside the Bourbon» was the motto of the several hundred secessionists who demonstrated yesterday in the center of Barcelona. The Mossos were forced to shield all the accesses to the Palau de la Música and the tension was increasing when secessionist demonstrators mixed with sympathizers of the imaginary Tabarnia,

Puigdemont attacks

Since his last visit to Barcelona, ​​much has rained in the political landscape: referendum of 1-O, general strike of 3-O, speech of the King, proclamation of the republic, 155, imprisonment and Catalan elections. It has rained so much, that for the first time the King visited Catalonia and was not received by any autonomous authority: because Catalonia still does not have a government and because the representatives who could have gone-general secretaries-did not do so to protest the position of the Monarch in relation to to the sovereignty process.

     Carles Puigdemont did not waste the opportunity to brandish from Belgium the anger that exists in the secessionism with the head of state. "King Felipe VI will be welcomed in the Republic of Catalonia as the highest authority of Spain when he apologizes for his unconstitutional role last October," said the former president of the Generalitat, who last year did share a presence in the mobile room with the King.

      The climate is of maximum tension, as it was possible to see in the rebellion that the judicial dome of Catalonia did to Roger Torrent on Thursday in the bar association of Barcelona for speaking of "political prisoners". The independence movement accuses the monarch of not having remained neutral in the territorial crisis, of having led the 'for them' and of having urged, in his speech of 3-O, the Government to apply the 155. «The responsibility of the legitimate powers of the State is to ensure the constitutional order, "he said then. The sovereignty accused him of not appealing to the dialogue or making reference to the wounded by the police charges of 1-O.

The government, meanwhile, described as "unfair and petty" the rude to the King and warned that they put at risk that Barcelona "may continue to host a global event of such importance in the future." "The presence of the King in Barcelona symbolizes the support of the Crown and the whole of Spain to the MWC, and by extension, to the development and strength of the Catalan economy, "according to government sources," Barcelona is playing a lot these days, "the executive said.