The leading candidate for Spain's Partido Popular in Catalonia, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, 13th marchioness of Casa Fuerte, was interviewed this morning on Catalan public television station TV3. During the interview, she attacked the broadcaster, saying that "TV3 is becoming a residual channel" and that it "took part in a coup against democracy".
Álvarez de Toledo said that TV3 "excludes an important portion of this community" and that it's "used to harm half the Catalan people, to humiliate them". Part of the interview can be seen below in Spanish (she said she would like to learn Catalan in the future).
The head of PP's list of candidates for 28th April for Barcelona persisted in her attacks, saying the station "is part of a lamentable process of division" and that "when sectarianism happens from public television, it's a democratic offence". She noted that TV3's director, Vicent Sanchis, was recently charged with disobedience relating to the 2017 referendum.
Álvarez de Toledo said that "democracy is also respect for democratic pluralism". She repeatedly referred to Catalonia as "this community", and attacked its educational system, saying "public education teaches hatred of Spain".
End to self-government
The marchioness argued there is a need to end Catalan self-government by reapplying article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, expressing support for "unifying and harmonising powers". She proposed this end to self-government as a "democratic rescue" of Catalonia arguing that the aim is to "return autonomy" and said that "Spain is the stubborn wish to live together"
She claimed independence supporters "attempted an illegal coup against our Constitution". Álvarez de Toledo believes that "democratic values have been being systematically lost" in Catalonia and that "the yellow ribbons say that Spain is a dictatorship".
Depending on whether the election result makes it relevant or not, she didn't express any opposition to reaching an agreement with far-right party Vox to invest a prime minister.