Catalonia’s new far right: How anti-Muslim sentiment is reshaping politics

Barcelona, Spain – Almost a decennary aft a failed independency bid successful Catalonia, anti-migration and anti-Muslim sentiment has replaced secession arsenic the driving unit among voters successful this affluent region.

A caller far-right party, Alianca Catalana, oregon Catalan Alliance (AC), which wants a crackdown connected migration and has targeted Islam arsenic a menace to society, has surged successful the polls successful a portion with the largest Muslim colonisation successful Spain.

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The enactment is connected people to go the 2nd biggest governmental unit successful Catalonia aft the Socialists astatine the adjacent Catalan determination predetermination successful 2028, polls predict.

It has capitalised connected the anti-migrant sentiment sweeping Europe, which has seen victories for the far-right successful Germany, Italy, and France.

The emergence of Catalan Alliance has alarmed Muslims, who fearfulness a backlash successful a state which has antecedently seemed welcoming.

“This has amazed each of us,” said Soukayna El Abdi, president of the Young Moroccans of Ripoll, referring to the party’s growth.

“Most radical travel to integrate, to enactment and unrecorded among others. The emergence of [Catalan] Alliance is astir unfounded hate. They dispersed tons of things astir our assemblage which are not true.”

Spain volition ballot successful a drawback predetermination successful November. Polls amusement the blimpish People’s Party and the far-right Vox gaining support. The emergence of the Catalan Alliance shows a displacement towards the close successful the 4th biggest system successful the eurozone.

The enactment backs independency and has taken enactment from the different secessionist parties, Together for Catalonia and Catalan Republican Left, which were down the failed bid to interruption distant from Spain successful 2017.

“All my friends enactment Catalan Alliance. There are excessively galore migrants astir present and Islam is simply a threat,” Eduard Lopez, a businessman from Molins de Rei adjacent Barcelona, told Al Jazeera. “These different independency parties are from the past. They failed to bash what they said they would.”

A 5th of Spain’s colonisation of astir 50 cardinal was calved extracurricular the country, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). Colombians, Venezuelans and Moroccans are the 3 largest groups by nationality.

Catalan Alliance started successful Ripoll, a tiny municipality adjacent the French border. It was wherever members of a compartment plotted an onslaught connected Barcelona successful 2017 which killed 16 radical and was claimed by ISIL.

‘No important change’

Silvia Orriols, person of Catalan Alliance, is besides politician of the town.

After the 2017 attack, she became fervently anti-Muslim.

“If determination is nary important change, the prospects for Catalonia are bleak,” Orriols told Al Jazeera.

“The diminution successful the usage of our ain language, the depersonalisation of neighbourhoods, the emergence successful insecurity and crime, the fraudulent usage of nationalist services, the wide and invasive immigration, the demographic maturation of those who advocator [Islamic] law, the fiscal plundering we endure by Spain, endanger the payment authorities and the rights and freedoms we person achieved up to now.”

She said her enactment was for “those who person not surrendered to globalisation and barbarism”.

There are 2.4 cardinal Muslims surviving successful Spain, with the largest assemblage successful Catalonia, according to the Union of Islamic Federations of Spain.

El Abdi of the Young Moroccans of Ripoll said, “I americium precise scared. I fearfulness for my parents and my 2 brothers who inactive unrecorded there. This racism affects each Muslims. It started aft the 2017 onslaught successful Barcelona.”

Ironically, she said, Orriols’ daughters utilized to beryllium friends with her cousins, but this changed aft the Catalan Alliance person went into politics.

Silvia Orriols, person of the far-right enactment Alianca Catalana, is pictured astatine a rally being escorted by constabulary [File: Nacho Doce/Reuters]

The enactment presently has conscionable 2 seats successful the Catalan parliament, but polls foretell it is acceptable to rival the Socialists to tally a portion which accounts for 20 percent of the Spanish economy.

A canvass for El Mundo newspaper, published successful September, recovered the Catalan Alliance would triumph 25-28 seats, with 16.7 percent of votes if determination were an election. The Socialists would beryllium the largest enactment but would suffer 10 seats, garnering 23.3 percent of enactment and 19-22 seats. All different secessionist parties would suffer out.

Juan Ignacio Castien Maestro, a specializer successful Islamic affairs astatine the Complutense University successful Madrid, said anti-Muslim feeling is connected the emergence successful Spain.

“People are focusing connected Islamophobia, which has existed for centuries but has risen successful Spain successful caller years. The Muslim migrant is seen arsenic the awesome of galore ills specified arsenic the lodging crisis, unemployment and different problems. It plays connected feelings of insecurity,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“Catalonia is simply a peculiar lawsuit successful that immoderate Catalan [nationalist] parties were already Islamophobic.”

Jose Pablo Martínez, a specializer successful migration astatine the Real Elcano Institute, a deliberation vessel successful Madrid, said the left-wing Spanish government, dissimilar galore different European countries, is applying a argumentation which is much favourable towards migration.

But “certain sections of the colonisation see migrants to beryllium competing for their jobs and housing,” helium said.