Sílvia Orriols: 'We Don't Accept Democracy Lessons from CUP'

The leader of Aliança Catalana and mayor of Ripoll, Sílvia Orriols, recently made an intervention at the Ripoll town hall that has gone quite viral. The mayor was responding to the municipal group of the CUP, which, according to Orriols, wanted to give "lessons in democracy."

In response, Mayor Orriols said she would not accept lessons from a party that "doesn't believe in free thought." She then listed some of the political violence, both physical and symbolic, that the CUP has been involved in. "Sanitary cordons and antifascist pacts," "manuals for squatting," or "inciting violence in parliamentary headquarters":

This last point is a clear reference to the controversial words of CUP deputy, Laure Vega, in Parliament. As Deputy Vega said, "throwing stones at the Mossos is a cultural fact of Catalonia." These statements were especially untimely considering they were made shortly after the riots in Salt.

The CUP and Its Change of Strategy

In response, Orriols denounced that the CUP "are indeed far-left extremists" and that "they attack the rights of political opponents." It is worth noting, for example, that the CUP has attacked Aliança Catalana's information stands on several occasions. On one occasion, even an AC supporter had to be taken to the hospital after being assaulted by the "antifascists."

These words from Orriols have gained significant traction on social media, and many applaud Orriols's assertiveness when addressing the CUP. In any case, what is irrefutable is the result of the polls. Indeed, if we look at the latest elections, it is objective that the CUP is a party in full decline and even facing the possibility of disappearance.

This explains why the CUP has undergone a radical change in strategy. From being a 'freak' party that didn't make pacts with anyone, the CUP has become a crutch for the PSC. The latest example has been seen with housing policies, which the CUP has approved while simultaneously wanting to claim the credit.