Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy wants to change the policy on languages in schools in Catalonia, taking advantage of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, and the reactions have been quick to appear. One of the first to express their opposition to the proposal was Joan Tardà, a deputy for ERC in the Spanish Congress, who tweeted: "If the Spanish government takes advantage of [article] 155 to destroy the [system of] linguistic immersion it will make their bad faith and the wish to continue harming Catalonia clear, as well as our irresponsibility of having still not invested a republican government as the public mandated us on 21st December. Government, now!" He followed this with a second message, also on Twitter, reading: "The lone fact of the existence of such a clear threat to linguistic immersion should mean that tomorrow there is a republican government. Enough of those who want to see us wiped out making us suffer. Government, now!"
Si Govern espanyol aprofita el 155 per dinamitar la immersió lingüística es farà evident la seva mala fe i voluntat de continuar fent mal a Catalunya, així com la nostra irresponsabilitat de no haver fet encara Govern republicà tal com ens mandatà la ciutadania el 21D. Govern ja!
— Joan Tardà i Coma (@JoanTarda) 15 de febrer de 2018
El sol fet de l’existència d’una amenaça tan evident a la immersió lingüística hauria de comportar que demà hi hagués Govern repúblicà. Prou q ens fan patir el qui ens volen veure anorreats. Govern ja!
— Joan Tardà i Coma (@JoanTarda) 15 de febrer de 2018
Former speaker and current ERC deputy in the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, also expressed her support for the current system: "Education in Catalan is the fruit of a social consensus which has brought us together as a country and has given the opportunity to all children to be able to decide what language they want to express themselves in. All our support to Catalan schools and the professionals who make it possible."
L' ensenyament en català és fruit d'un consens social que ens ha cohesionat com a País i ha donat l'oportunitat a tots els nois i noies de poder decidir la llengua en què volen expressar-se. Tot el nostre suport a l'escola catalana i als i les professionals que la fan possible.
— Carme Forcadell (@ForcadellCarme) 15 de febrer de 2018
Vice-president of pro-independence organisation Òmnium Cultural, Marcel Mauri, also commented on Twitter: "What they have NEVER won at the ballot box, they want to impose by force. Their objective is social division in Catalonia. Our strength, to remain united to move forwards as a single people. We will tirelessly defend the the successful model and guarantee of cohesion which is immersion."
El que MAI han guanyat a les urnes, ho volen imposar per la força. El seu objectiu és la divisió social de Catalunya. La nostra força, seguir units per avançar com un sol poble. Defensarem sense descans el model d’èxit i garantia de cohesió que és la immersió. https://t.co/CbFzd0aQQl
— Marcel Mauri (@marcelmauri) 15 de febrer de 2018
Crida per la Democràcia (Call for Democracy) commented on similar lines: "A party with 4 deputies wants to intervene in the Catalan education model. What they didn't win at the ballot box they want to achieve with [article] 155."
Un partit amb 4 diputats vol intervenir el model educatiu català. El que no han guanyat a les urnes ho volen aconseguir amb el 155. https://t.co/gcgfzH0bkp
— Crida Democràcia (@CridaDemocracia) 15 de febrer de 2018
The leader of Catalunya En Comú-Podem, Xavier Domènech, a coalition against both independence and article 155, also commented: "With 4 deputies in Catalonia and the intervention in the education system has started. The priority has to be defending self-government, not who is president."
Amb 4 diputats a Catalunya i comença la intervenció en el model educatiu. La prioritat ha de ser defensar l'autogovern no qui el presideixi. https://t.co/Ef5j7bN4Gu
— Xavier Domènech (@XavierDomenechs) 15 de febrer de 2018
En Comú deputy Joan Josep Nuet replied to his colleague Tardà: "True, legitimism shouldn't blind us or we could lose our institutions and languages, indispensable facts for new accumulations of strength."
Cert, que el legitimisme no cegui la nostra vista o podem perdre institucions i llengua, fets indispensables per noves acumulacions de força https://t.co/hfqaWbZtIT
— NUET (@NUET) 15 de febrer de 2018
Also from En Comú-Podem, deputy Jéssica Albiach, wrote: "We a government NOW to remove PP's claws from our self-government. Linguistic immersion, a model bringing success and social cohesion, is NOT to be touched. We also reject the accusations of indoctrination and the questioning of the Catalan education model."
Necessitem un Govern JA que tregui les urpes del PP del nostre autogovern. La immersió lingüística, model d’èxit i cohesió social, NO es toca. També rebutgem les acusacions d’adoctrinament i el qüestionament del model d’escola catalana #pública https://t.co/3ij8zdvQ0J
— Jéssica Albiach (@jessicaalbiach) 15 de febrer de 2018
Despite its Spain-wide party, PSOE, having supported the initial application of article 155, PSC deputy and former Catalan Interior minister Ramon Espadaler wrote: "I'm reading that 'Rajoy communicates to SCC [Societat Civil Catalana] that the Education ministry is studying including an option for Spanish in school pre-enrolment'. It's not tolerable that the PP should dictate linguistic policy hand in hand with SCC. For [my party], this is another reason to make a government now and abolish [article] 155."
Llegeixo q “Rajoy transmet a SCC q el Ministeri Educació estudia incloure una casella x castellà a la preinscripció escolar”. No és tolerable q @PPopular dicti la política lingüística de la mà de @Societatcc. Per a @UnitsCat aquesta és una raó més x fer Govern ja i derogar el 155
— Ramon Espadaler (@Ramon_Espadaler) 15 de febrer de 2018