The spokesperson for ERC in the Congress, Gabriel Rufián, wondered this Thursday why it took 14 years to call a general strike like the one that took place this Wednesday for decent housing and wages, and announced that the election campaign for the elections on the 20th begins "with a desire for revenge."
Rufián made these statements in the Lower House, where he attended the debate on the validation of the two housing decree-laws hosted by the Permanent Deputation, the only parliamentary body that remains active after the dissolution of the Cortes.
"In the end, the question is not why a strike was held yesterday, but why it took so long, because there had been many reasons for 13 years," slipped the head of the ERC list for Barcelona, who could not answer whether the housing mobilization will affect the election campaign that begins in a few hours. "Everything affects and nothing affects," he commented.
"The devil loads the dice with polls"
From his point of view, in a campaign "every day is an eternity" and one must go day by day, talking and trying to interpret people's feelings and being "as normal as possible."
"I don't really know what the magic formula is now either," he admitted, before warning that "the devil loads the dice with polls." "I'm going to give my life. I'm very eager, very much so, especially for revenge against those who oppress us," he said, taking for granted that this period "is going to be fun."
Criticism of the Police and demand for Marlaska's resignation
At another point in his statements, Gabriel Rufián described this Thursday the police action during the general strike as "excessive," especially in Barcelona, and held the PSOE responsible for what happened, recalling that it is the party that governs Spain. In addition, he reiterated the demand for the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, which his party had already raised previously.
In statements to journalists in the corridors of the Congress, which today celebrates Permanent Deputation, Rufián denounced a disproportionate use of force against the strikers. "I saw excessive force that is not seen in other types of demonstrations, such as those of the other right," he said.
Regarding the demands for the resignation of the Interior Minister by Frente Amplio and Podemos, the ERC leader recalled that his group had already demanded his departure from the Government for the failure to repeal the so-called "gag law" and for the deaths recorded at the southern border. "Esquerra Republicana, I believe, was the first to ask for the resignation of Minister Marlaska," he stressed.
"Police sectors opposed to the Government"
Asked who commands the Police, the head of the ERC list for the general elections replied that there are police sectors opposed to the Government, just as, in his opinion, happens in judicial and media spheres. At this point, he recalled cases of espionage against independence leaders during the procés.
However, he warned that this does not exempt the PSOE from its responsibility. "In the end, the PSOE governs this country and if the Police beat people up in the street for no reason, then they will have some responsibility. In addition, all the files opened against police officers who think they are Chuck Norris here end up archived," Rufián denounced.
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