The Wall Street Journal dedicates an article to Junqueras and the strength of pro-independentism

  • It highlights the ERC's leader direct and plain-talking style

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The popularity of Oriol Junqueras is highlighted in the prestigious US financial paper The Wall Street Journal, that focuses a long article on the Catalan Republican Left president. ‘Plain-Talking Historian Is a Force Behind Catalan Independence Push’, is the headline of the article, in which journalist Matt Moffett quotes Junqueras’ simple, forthright style with phrases like, “When there are two million people in the streets of Barcelona for one, two, three days, what will the public opinion in Europe say? What will financial markets say?”

“In the drama over the wealthy Catalonia region’s push for independence from Spain, much of the script is being written by a blunt-speaking historian whose leftist party is driving the debate,” begins the article.

The article focuses much of the profile on Junqueras himself: “In Spain’s button-down political culture, the burly, bearded Mr. Junqueras is known for his directness, especially when talking about what would happen if the central government makes good on threats to block a nonbinding referendum on independence planned for the region on Nov. 9.”

And then it quotes what Junqueras said about what might Europe and the US do if two million demonstrators filled the streets of Barcelona for several days. And recalls the declarations that the ERC leader made in Brussels a few months ago, “Does someone think we aren’t capable of halting the Catalan economy during one week?

Moffett describes an encounter that he had with Junqueras in the Catalan Parliament’s cafeteria in which Junqueras showed him the map of the returns from the EU elections, which ERC won, and in which 55% of the votes were for pro-sovereignty parties. 

The article ends with these words from Junqueras: “There are many more citizens in favor of democracy than of independence,” he said. “To the extent that the government doesn’t allow these citizens favoring democracy to vote, it’s converting them into citizens who favor independence.”

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