Spanish Jews recoil as ousted Catalan leader tweets ‘awesome’ video of PM Rajoy and Hitler
A group representing Spain’s Jewish communities has criticised a video tweeted by the ousted Catalan president that features images of the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, along with archive footage of Hitler and Franco.
Shortly before Catalonia’s regional parliament convened to elect a new speaker on Wednesday, Carles Puigdemont renewed his attack on the Spanish authorities for sacking his government after it staged an independence referendum last October.
“They understand only fear, violence and imposition,” Puigdemont tweeted. “We will teach them that there is nothing that can bend the spirit of a free, peaceful and democratic people. We are restoring our institutions. We are fighting for the country. We are exercising dignity. Long live the land, and long live free Catalonia!”
The deceitful use of photos and images relating to the second world war makes no sense and undermines the credibility of the message
Beneath the message was a video that mixed footage of the Spanish police violence during the referendum with film of a 1940 meeting between the Nazi leader and the Spanish dictator, immediately followed by a video of Rajoy.
Puigdemont thanked the maker of the “awesome video”, adding: “The commitment and determination of the new generations are the best guarantee of the republic.”
The video was condemned by the Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities as senseless and counterproductive.
“The deceitful use of photos and images relating to the second world war makes no sense and undermines the credibility of the message,” it said in a statement. The federation also said it supported – and would always support – Spanish law and the constitution.
A source close to Puigdemont said: “He wasn’t making any comparison between Franco and Hitler and [Rajoy’s] People’s party. All he was doing was sharing the video and saying that it was impressive because it showed the power of the [Catalan] people on 1 October.”