Meritxell Budó, former Generalitat councilor, accuses CUP of sexism

Meritxell Budó was Minister of the Presidency and spokesperson for the Govern with Quim Torra and Pere Aragonès. She is now mayor of La Garriga for Junts. This week, she has been in the spotlight after accusing CUP of sexism over a post by the anticapitalist group.

The Junts ticket won the 2023 elections, securing 8 out of the 17 councilors that make up the municipal plenary. The second most voted was 100% La Garriga, a municipalist list that won three seats. In the end, Junts reached an agreement with PSC, and the municipalists remained in the opposition along with CUP and ERC.

The approach of 100% La Garriga to Meritxell Budó's government hasn't gone down well with CUP. The anticapitalists used a famous internet image to illustrate the situation. In the image, a man is seen walking down the street with his partner while looking at another woman's backside as she passes by.

It's a widely used image on the internet to symbolize betrayal. For CUP, the man looking is 100% La Garriga, the woman passing by is Meritxell Budó, and the betrayed woman is the voters of the municipalist list. The mayor has labeled the post as sexist.

Cup of La Garriga criticized

A local resident states that the post is "regrettable," and that "you can agree or disagree with things but there always has to be respect." Another points out that "they're the ones who then go around giving lessons on feminisms," and expresses support for the mayor. Many others have shown their support and criticized CUP's hypocrisy.

Indeed, the post probably wouldn't have gotten so much attention if it weren't precisely CUP. The anticapitalists present themselves as radical defenders of feminism and examples of purity. The poster is certainly unpleasant, and it also objectifies women.

The mayor has received support from Gemma Geis, deputy mayor and first deputy mayor for Junts in Girona. She has called the image "disgusting," and has accused CUP of lacking "the ability to argue."

This isn't the first time CUP has been embroiled in controversies over sexism. The organization has had several cases of assaults and complaints within its ranks, although many times they have remained unsolved. Members of the organization itself have reported intrinsic sexism and have accused the leadership of covering up assaults.