Politicians will be relegated from the front of Saturday's anti-terrorism demonstration in Barcelona. After the controversy over the possible presence of King Felip VI or prime minister Mariano Rajoy at the head of the protest, they have come to an agreement to avoid any potential conflict: the first row will be comprised of members of the emergency services and other civic groups that helped the victims of the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, which left 15 and more than one hundred injured. Also to play a prominent role are entities and organisations that, in one way or another, work against xenophobia and racism and in favour of integration and social cohesion..
However, this absence from the front of the parade will be compensated by a broad representation of politics and the institutions, to cover the whole of the Spanish state. Representatives of all political parties, from left and right, pro- and against independence, they will all offer a show of political unity. A little more than a month before the Catalan independence referendum, there will be a truce before restarting the political race, before the arrival of a September that is expected to be intense. It is not known yet if they will occupy a second or third line. But in any case, it will not resemble the demonstration after the 2004 Madrid bombings, when, in the middle of a political crisis over the "two lines of investigation" (Islamic or Basque-separatist terrorism), the front row comprised then-Prince Felipe, then -rime minister José Aznar and the two daughters of King Juan Carlos.
In this case, the delegation from the Spanish Government will be headed by the prime minister Mariano Rajoy, who has postponed an event in Pontevedra to the Sunday. Accompanying him will be the vice-president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, the minister of the Interior, Juan Ignacio Zoido, the Health minister, Dolors Montserrat and the Defence minister, María Dolores de Cospedal. Also in attendance will be the Spanish government's delegate to Catalonia, Enric Millo.
The Spanish government announced this Wednesday that, given the interest from the authorities of different administrations of the state to take part, "a transport mechanism" will be organised "to facilitate the transfers and movements of these people".
So far, presidents of eleven of the seventeen autonomous communities, the majority from PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), have also confirmed their attendance: from Valencia, Ximo Puig; from the Balearic Isles, Francina Armengol; from the Basque Country, Iñigo Urkullu; from Navarre, Uxue Barkos; from Andalusia, Susana Díaz; from Aragon, Javier Lambán; from Asturias, Javier Fernández; from Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page; from Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara; from Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla and from the Community of Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, although the last wasn't planning on going as she hadn't received an official invitation.
There will be other political leaders too, including, the mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena; the European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, and the presidents of the Spanish Congress and Senate, Ana Pastor and Pío García Escudero.
Of all parties|matches
Besides the institutional representation, there will also be a significant political representation. In the case of the PP (People's Party), there will be at least three of the five vice-presidents of the party: Javier Arenas, Andrea Levy and Javier Maroto. There will also be the president of the PP's Catalan branch, Xavier García Albiol; the party's general coordinator, Fernando Martínez-Maíllo; its spokespeople in the Congress and the Senate, Rafael Hernando and Xosé Manuel Barreiro, and an broad representation of deputies and senators, the largest possible.
For their part, the PSOE delegation will be headed by the party's leader, Pedro Sánchez; its first secretary, Miquel Iceta and ex-prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. There will be other leading party figures too, like the vice-secretary, Adriana Lastra; the organization secretary, José Luis Ábalos; as well as the majority of the members of the federal executive commission and the secretaries general of the party's federations.
Ciutadans (Citizens) has confirmed the attendance of its president, Albert Rivera, as well as its leaders in Catalonia and Barcelona, Inés Arrimadas and Carina Mejías. Also present will be representatives of the party from other cities, deputies from the Congress and the Catalan Parliament, and members of the national executive committee.
All the Catalan parties will take part in the event in rejection of terrorism. This will include the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), whose attendance had attracted the majority of the attention. They will do so "alongside the people".
The monarchs, unknown factor
The Spanish king and queen have not yet confirmed their presence at Saturday's demonstration in Barcelona, although the question has sparked controversy nonetheless. When he was a prince, Felipe VI headed the 2004 demonstration in Madrid after the 11th March bombings. He was there as the representative of the Royal Family, in place of then-king Juan Carlos I.
The controversy was started by the CUP, when it said it wouldn't appear alongside the king or Rajoy, who it considers "indirectly responsible" for the attacks due to their relationships with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, countries that "fund and help to strengthen Daesh [Islamic State]". Hours later they were joined by Esquerra Repulicana (Republican Left of Catalonia) and Catalunya en Comú (Catalonia in Common). Finally, all three parties agreed to take back their rhetoric to avoid the demonstration being marred by controversy.
If the monarchs finally do decide to take part, which is still unknown, they know at least that they will not be able to head the demonstration, a place reserved for the emergency services and the civic groups that helped the victims. In spite of this, the politicians, having come from all over Spain, will let themselves be seen in Barcelona, but not in Cambrils or Ripoll, where there are also demonstrations planned.