Catalan president praises humanity and solidarity during televised Christmas speech

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, praised humanity and solidarity during his televised Christmas speech on Friday, coinciding with Saint Stephen's Day (Sant Esteve, in Catalan).

"Christmas is a special moment," he said at the beginning of his five-minute speech in Catalan.

"Most of us are united in a shared dream, to share a table, and to open our home, and help others," he continued.

"Empathy, solidarity, and responsibility are three defining values of our way of being," Salvador Illa said, in what could be a direct message to the current situation in Badalona, north of Barcelona, where dozens of migrants were evicted last week from an old high school.

Illa said that the festive period of Christmas "reminds us of those values that we cannot lose at all: our human values."

"What do we have missing if there is no humanity," he wondered before saying that "humanity is also a synonym of welcoming and including those who are in need, it is also a meaning of defending our rule of law to guarantee a public education and health care, to guarantee housing as a right, and offering social support to those who need it."

"Without any humanity, without any solidarity, we cannot build any country nor society," he continued.

He also said that "empathy, solidarity, and collective responsibility" have been crucial during climate emergencies, such as the two major wildfires in July, during which three people died, and the floods in southern Catalonia's Terres de l'Ebre.

"The answer to the needs and challenges across Catalonia is not to criticize those who have less or are different," he said to spectators, in what could be a reference to the increase of support among far-right forces.

Illa took a moment to mention the recent lumpy skin disease cases, as well as the current outbreak of African swine fever, first diagnosed in late 2025 after 31 years without any positive case.

During his speech, he also thanked the work of dozens of emergency service members and other public servants. "Their trust, purpose, and their compromise are a good example to show how to face the current challenges across the globe," he continued.