This National Day is preceded by a series of events that have struck a heavy blow to society's conscience, forcing people to take sides. On one hand, Ceuta; on the other, Manresa. The media and political handling of these two events has been exploited by far-right groups-both Catalan and Spanish-to reach the general public. We will not delve into the details of these events, as everyone is already familiar with them. What should concern us is the capacity-and the ease-with which the far right is managing to make its narrative mainstream, dominate the political agenda across society, and become a subject of public debate with increasing frequency.
However, we do not believe this situation arises naturally. The shift toward the far right or the "hard right" is by no means innocent. As demonstrated by the arrest of Fernando Cerimedo in Bolivia and the shutdown of his "bot farms," the rise of far-right rhetoric is the result of political decisions made by those holding political and technological power. In their arrogance, they believe themselves capable-and often are-of manipulating the opinions of hundreds of millions of people at will, using fake news, hoaxes, bots, manipulated information, and echo chambers. People imagine themselves to be free and well-informed, yet they end up repeating exactly what the "billionaires" dictate. The cultural battle of the 21st century is being fought on social media, shaping the way people think.
Meanwhile, ordinary people-the working class-are suffering through a prolonged material and existential crisis. While, on the one hand, the Spanish government boasts of the Spanish State's growing global importance and its GDP, on the other, ordinary people struggle to make ends meet. Whether due to unaffordable housing-a result of allowing vulture funds to act unchecked-or the rising costs of fuel, raw materials, and food-driven by imperialist wars-people find their very survival jeopardized; the relentless expansion of tourism only adds to these pressures.
These material issues, fueled by political factors, allow an exclusionary, hateful narrative to take hold against those facing the greatest hardship-often newcomers or foreigners. Those at the bottom fight amongst themselves, while those at the top watch calmly. Social issues are sidelined and overshadowed by questions of ethnicity or national identity.
We clearly perceive a geopolitical dimension to this reactionary surge. Fear of uncontrolled, uprooted immigration is used to discipline society, to erect barriers and draw lines between neighborhoods, to fracture communities, and to atomize any unified class-based response. This is happening right now across the West, and Catalonia is no exception.
However, this is no time to remain in a state of shock. We must not stand still. On the contrary, we must mobilize. We must mobilize against cowardly, criminal fascism; against predatory capitalism; against genocidal Zionism; against the devastation of the planet; and against the labor exploitation and anti-worker laws already being implemented in other European states. The challenges are immense. The mobilization must be equally immense. Mobilization breaks through fear, creates new spaces for debate, shapes new rules, circulates different narratives, and fosters new bonds of solidarity and alliances. Right now, it is essential to break free-through struggle and determination-from the summer media stagnation that pushes racism even further.
Let's change the playing field.
Let's build people power.
September 2026
Embat, Libertarian Organization of Catalonia
https://embat.info/11-setembre-canviem-el-tauler/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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