Catalan nationalists campaign on backs of the dead

MADRID — Once again Islamic terrorism has not only claimed lives but created political havoc in Spain. In March 2004, the subway bombings that killed more than 190 were key to the victory of the Socialist Party in the national election three days later.

This time, the attack in Barcelona revealed the grave incompetence of the Catalan police and the Catalan nationalists’ willingness to turn the tragedy into an attack on Madrid, the government and the king.

Unlike in the United States, where a terrorist attack in any state falls under the purview of the FBI, some regional police forces — including Catalonia’s — also handle terrorism cases.

On the night of August 16, an explosion occurred in a country house in a small Catalan village, Alcanar. The Catalan police, Mossos de Esquadra, claimed the incident was related to a drugs laboratory, despite the fact that 120 gas cylinders were found among the rubble.

It was perfect product placement: in the press and on TV, only one issue loomed large— Catalan independence.

When the investigating magistrate told the Mossos that, to her, the incident looked like something far more serious, the leading policeman replied, “Your honor, don’t exaggerate.” Five hours later, the terrorists attacked Las Ramblas in Barcelona, killing 16 people and injuring more than a hundred.

The Catalan government made the first official statement less than three hours after the attack. With the world watching Barcelona, they chose to make their statement in Catalan. Why not in Castilian Spanish, a language spoken by roughly 600 million people worldwide? The government wanted to take advantage of the situation and send a message to the world: “We are a different country.”

Over the course of the next few days, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the king and queen were met by cheers of “¡Viva el Rey!” in Barcelona. Nationalists couldn’t stand it. The most radical among them refused to attend an anti-terror march if the king or Rajoy took part. The issue, for them, was not terrorism. The issue was independence.

In response, Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau came up with a formula to appease the nationalists: The march would be led by members of the emergency services who played a crucial role the day of the terrorist attack, and the king would follow some 200 meters behind.

The Royal Household and the Spanish government accepted, but the nationalists took it a step further and made sure the officials were met with jeers and followed by nationalists waving Catalan flags and separatist slogans. It was perfect product placement: in the press and on TV, only one issue loomed large — Catalan independence.

Although ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack hours after it took place, not a single poster denounced the terrorist organization at Saturday’s rally. The only ones accused of wrongdoing were the Spanish king and Madrid. Nationalists even went so far as to accuse the king of weapons trafficking.

The Catalan regional government should take responsibility for the failures of their police forces and recognize that keeping their people safe should be their first priority. But it would rather ignore the dead and profit from them.

Ramón Perez-Maura is an assistant editor at the Spanish daily ABC.