divendres, 18 de novembre del 2011

Ramon Tremosa (Catalan MEP) Vilified for Speaking English

Spanish members of the European Parliament vilified a Catalan congressman last Wednesday, November, 16th for speaking in English. Ramon Tremosa, a member of the Catalan centrist party CiU was speaking in English concerning an amendment, when two PSOE congresspeople began to shout: “In Spanish, in Spanish, you speak better in Spanish.” PSOE will be the ruling party until the upcoming November 20th elections, when PP, the ultranationalist Spanish party, is expected to win by a landslide. Tremosa wondered whether this is what it was like to be back in 1939—the year when Spanish fascists won the war. Another Catalan congressman from the leftist ICV-EUiA party said: "I was there. It was a really pathetic and unpleasant situation.” What's interesting is that Spanish is not a working language at the European Parliament, but English is. So, in essence, these Spanish zealots were trying to impose a non-working language. Nowadays, there are three working languages in the EU: English, French, and German. Why is it that Spanish supremacists do not shout at British, French or German members when they use these languages? Because they are bullies who only dare attack those whom they perceive as weak

dissabte, 5 de novembre del 2011

Would you prefer a black, gay, or Catalan son?

"Would you prefer to have a black, gay, or Catalan son?". That was the question asked of a participant on a TV show on Spanish TV on October 18th. In the original, the question was: "Si tuvieras un hijo, qué preferirías: que fuera homosexual, que fuera negro o que fuera catalán?" which translated means "If you had a son, which would you prefer: that he were gay, black, or that he were Catalan?"
The xenophobic question was aired on Tele 5, a channel that has also signed a manifesto against other languages in Spain other than Spanish. The text argues that the Spanish language is superior to Catalan, Basque or Galician because it can be understood by all the Spanish people. It forgets that the Spanish Constitution obliges all Spanish citizens to know Spanish, as Franco had done (Franco also forced everybody to use it,) and that all the languages are equal.
Only two weeks ago the same channel broadcast a program about Catalanophobia in Spain. The program showed some examples of the hate that many Spanish people have against the Catalan nation. The question of this article shows that Catalanophobia is rampant. It's a pity that Catalans, and other social minorities, have nobody to go to for justice when TV channels show homophobia, racism or Xenophobia/Catalanophobia.