President warns 'democracy is fragile' 50 years after Franco's death

Fifty years on from the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, Catalan President Salvador Illa warned that "democracy is fragile" and "there are people who want to delegitimize it."

Democracy, therefore, must be "cared for," Illa said, during an event – '1975-2025: The Recovery of Democratic Rights and Freedoms' – held on Friday at the University of Barcelona.

Addressing an audience composed mainly of secondary school students, Illa emphasized that there is a "collective duty" to make democracy work.

Institutions must "respond to citizens' concerns," focusing on "shared prosperity" and tackling issues such as the housing crisis and "universal and free healthcare for all."

Illa also highlighted the importance of European integration. "Europe provides the framework that will help us be stronger and preserve our way of life, based on prosperity, freedom, democracy, and the welfare state," he said.

"Resurgence of intolerance"

In an earlier speech, Parliament Speaker Josep Rull defended the idea of Catalonia as "one people," saying it was necessary to reaffirm this in the face of a "resurgence of intolerance, hatred, rancour, and dehumanization," which portrays outsiders as "perverse and suspicious."

"Democracy fundamentally means respecting human dignity. Today, there is a deeply dehumanizing trend where the worth of a person is judged not by who they are, but where they come from and which group they belong to," Rull said, adding: "This is called fascism, this is called Nazism."

Meanwhile, justice minister Ramon Espadaler warned that "democracy is not a gift," but rather "it has come at the cost of great suffering for many people." 

The education minister Ester Niubó said that "democracy is built every day in classrooms across the country."

Students take center stage

A large part of the event involved secondary school students from six schools in Barcelona, Esplugues de Llobregat, and Terrassa.

The students, who have been studying the subject in school, shared the stories of various anti-Franco activists who fought for rights in different arenas, including labour unions, neighbourhood associations, universities, the feminist movement, and the LGBTI community.

The event also featured Domènec Martínez, an anti-Franco activist persecuted under the dictatorship, and a musical performance by Valencian singer-songwriter Pau Alabajos, who performed 'Què volen aquesta gent?' by Maria del Mar Bonet, 'Jo vinc d’un silenci' by Raimon, and the poem 'Assumiràs la veu d'un poble' by Vicent Andrés Estellés.