The nomination of Josep Borrell as the new Spanish foreign minister has revived the controversy over comments he made whilst campaigning for last year's Catalan election about having to "disinfect" Catalonia before "stitching up wounds". The comments came during a PSC meeting in Sabadell, near Barcelona, where he also joked about comments from vice-president Oriol Junqueras: "Father Junqueras, from prison". "He reminds me of my town's priest, they have they same physical and mental architecture".
Video translation:
It's a good idea, this "stitching up wounds". They have to be stitched up. It's true: this is a wounded society and it has to be cured. But, before closing the wounds, they have to be disinfected. Because, if they're not disinfected, things rot. The social body has to be healed, so it has to be scrubbed well with disinfectant. Because a society cannot live if 40+% of the people are convinced, rightly or wrongly, they'd be better of outside. That cannot be. It's a situation that's too painful, too unstable (...)
Father Junqueras, from prison... no, don't laugh. I say it with all respect because when I see him I remember Father Rafel, who was my town's priest, exactly the same physical and mental architecture.