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Setting the estelada, the pro-independence Catalan flag, side-by-side with the Daesh (Islamic State) one was the unsubtle way the national vice-secretary of Social and Sectoral Policy of the PP (Popular Party) and Congress deputy, Javier Maroto, referred to today's debate about the implication of PP leader Mariano Rajoy and his party in the Gürtel corruption scandal.

Using reasoning of a complicated equivalence, Maroto pointed out that the "priority topic chosen by the opposition" for the restart after the holidays wasn't Catalonia nor radical Islam, accompanied by an image of the two flags.

Translation: What priority topic has the opposition chosen today to restart activity in the Congress? Catalonia? Radical Islam? Noooo, the same as always.

The presence of the two flags, one next to the other, hasn't gone unnoticed by social network users, who have responded indignantly.

One of those to do so was ERC (Catalan Republic Left) deputy Gabriel Rufián, saying that of all the "horrible" tweets written by PP leaders, "this is one of the worst".

Of so many awful tweets that PP leaders have written, this is one of the worst. And there are lots of them.

Rufián's wasn't the only answer:

The mixing of flags to say the independence movement = terrorism is brutal. I'm going to do the same mixing the PP, Franco's eagle and will add the dollar.

No, better that we talk about yours 

It's like that because you've never given truthful explanations, assumed responsibility, asked for forgiveness or returned what you stole. 

You have to be despicable and a bad person to post that mix of flags. You've earned your lifelong position in the PP. 

You're wretched, but you already know that. You're going to create independence supporters in this country even in Valladolid...

Wow, what a descriptive image of how far you're willing to go. It should give you shame, if you had any.

Maroto justifies himself, the image is from 'La Razón'

Once the controversy had blown up, Javier Maroto sent a new tweet in which he said that he did not intend to insinuate that "the flags are related" and that, in any case, the image came from an opinion article published in the newspaper La Razón.

The image which I illustrated a tweet with this morning comes from this opinion article. I've never said that both flags are related. The opinion article pictured is entitled "Separatism contaminates even the management of a tragedy"

Germà Bel's reaction

The Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) deputy Germà Bel has also given her opinion on the controversy.

You traffic so much in votes with the pain and blood of victims that you've become addicted to it, and you don't even realise it now.