Junts Blocked an Anti-Squatting Motion Just a Month Ago for Being 'Far-Right'

Junts has led the processing in the Congress of Deputies of a bill to evict squatters within 48 hours. The post-convergents have defended this legislative reform as fair, aiming to strengthen the protection of property owners. Their proposal has the support of PSOE, PP, Vox, and PNV, and the opposition of ERC, Bildu, and Sumar.

Junts takes up the banner of the fight against squatting after doing so with repeat offenses or immigration. It is part of their strategy to shift to the right to prevent the loss of votes amid an ideological shift in Catalonia. This leads them to incur blatant contradictions.

Junts is now taking a hard stance against squatting, but just a month ago they voted against a Vox motion against the squatters of the Casino de Albarrosa in Viladecans. Not only that, but they also called the authors of the motion "far-right." Junts has voted against several measures and blocked the PP's anti-squatter law that has been stalled in the Senate for over a year.

The double standard of Carles Puigdemont's party is becoming evident, often reluctant on ideological issues such as immigration or security. Junts remains a bipolar party, with one sector focused on order and another that continues to be swayed by woke processism.

Double Standard with Squatting

A month ago, Vox presented a motion in the Interior Committee of Parliament to urge the eviction of some squatters in Viladecans. The Casino, which was once a meeting place for residents, has now been occupied by criminals for years, making life impossible for others. Vox requested the expulsion of the squatters and to hand over the building to the city council for social use.

The proposal did not succeed due to the vote against it, among others, by Junts. Junts's deputy Mercè Esteve justified her vote against it to "not shake hands with the far-right that takes up the banner of security to sow hatred." In contrast, she highlighted her party's role as a battering ram for a "legal offensive" to "recover illegally occupied homes."

Their stance exposed Junts's complexities and their need to compete with what they call "far-right." The deputy herself evidenced it by telling Vox, "don't make us proposals on squatting or pretend to give us lessons." In other words, Junts wants to have the monopoly on the fight against squatting, and when it is not so, they accuse others of being far-right.

Bipolarity in Junts

Junts also blocked the PP's anti-squatter law in Congress and voted against Vox's reform to toughen penalties and speed up evictions. PP and Vox have supported the processing of their proposal in Congress but reproach their "hypocrisy" on this issue.

But it should also be noted that there is a sector within Junts more unashamed against crime, illegal immigration, and squatting. It is a sector that comes mainly from the local world, mayors who face the drama of squatting and growing insecurity daily. These mayors are the ones who brought the reform of the penal code against repeat offenses to Congress.

This sector coexists with a leftist current within Junts that on these issues is closer to ERC and CUP than to PP and Vox. This condemns Junts to a bipolarity that undermines their credibility when they want to flex their muscles on issues like squatting.