The three women who fight nationalism in Europe

The MEPs have led some of the most successful initiatives at European Community level with the aim of countering the story of the Generalitat and Diplocat in Brussels



The three women who fight nationalism in Europe: Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Beatriz Becerra and Teresa Giménez Barbat / CG

Laura Fàbregas

08.03.2019 00:00 h.

The battle in Brussels against Catalan nationalism is fought mainly by three women. These are Liberal MEPs Maite Pagazaurtundúa, Teresa Giménez Barbat and Beatriz Becerra.

The objective of the successive governments of the Generalitat has been to internationalize the so-called pro-independence procés to try to force a mediation of the international community between the State and the Catalan Administration. Through bodies such as the Diplocat and the opening of delegations abroad they have been creating their own nationalist diplomacy without almost finding Spanish interlocution in Europe to confront their nationalist story.

In recent years, however, with the increase of political tension, constitutionalist forces have been organized to counter propaganda. This is how initiatives such as Forum of Professors in the academic field have been born. In the parliamentary area, three of the figures fighting the most with their work nationalism are these three MEPs.

Pagazaurtundúa: "It was necessary to refute the lies"

Maite Pagazaurtundúa explains that upoon their arrival in Brussels they were "discovering that it was very necessary to do a job defending the reputation of democratic Spain" as well as "refuting the lies of the nationalists".

For this they had to "weave complicities with MEPs from different groups". She regrets, however, that the successive Spanish governments have not had "a systematic strategy" or "effective" to combat it.

This MEP worked on a report on the nature of the self-proclaimed defense committees of the republic (CDR) and insisted that these groups violate the rights enshrined in Articles 1, 13, 16 and 23 of the Constitution and Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union on the defense of the rule of law and respect for minorities: "These values are common to the Member States in a society characterized by pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men", the report said.

Another of the analyzes presented by her to the international community, entitled “The violation of children's rights and attacks on diversity in the classroom”, exposed some cases of school indoctrination and the refusal of Catalan institutions to educate in the mother tongue of the Spanish-speaking students.

Barbat: “Logramos convencer a los eurodiputados”
Teresa Giménez Barbat admite que “hasta ahora nadie se había tomado en serio la necesidad de elaborar un contrarrelato” que, por una parte, “desmintiera, punto por punto, la propaganda que los nacionalistas han ido inoculando en las instituciones europeas” y, por el otro, pusiera en “valor la democracia española; sin falsos triunfalismos, pero también sin complejos”.
Se sincera al explicar que “los nacionalistas llevan ventaja”, pero que lograron “convencer a los eurodiputados” con el “fruto” de su trabajo. Y es que la eurodiputada catalana y su equipo han tirado adelante el think tank Euromind para que Europa se dote de argumentos humanistas, científicos y racionales para atajar la amenaza y el auge del populismo. Por él han pasado científicos de la talla de Steven Pinker, el economista e historiador Gabriel Tortella o la historiadora Elvira Roca para desmentir la España de la leyenda negra.

Barbat: "We managed to convince the MEPs"

Teresa Giménez Barbat admits that "until now no one had taken seriously the need to elaborate a counter-report" that, on the one hand, "denied, point by point, the propaganda that the nationalists have been inoculating in the European institutions" and, on the other, put "in value Spanish democracy; without false triumphs, but also without complexes".

She is sincere when explaining that "the nationalists have an advantage", but that they managed to "convince the MEPs" with the "fruit" of their work: this Catalan MEP and her team have promoted the the Euromind think tank so that Europe could profit from humanistic, scientific and rational arguments to tackle the threat and the rise of populisms. This think tank has welcome scientists such as Steven Pinker, economist and historian Gabriel Tortella or historian Elvira Roca to deny the Spain of the black legend.

Along the same lines, this week they asked the Commission about the arrival of Carles Puigdemont in Parliament and about the information that the Government contracted with T-Systems services linked to the procés. They have also sent a request for explanations to the MEP Catherine Bearder who authorized the exhibition that led to Puigdemont sneaking into the European Parliament, and a letter to the bureau in reference to this same episode.

Becerra: "Europe endorsed the constitutionalist cause"

The MEP Beatriz Becerra was the one who, during the days of the illegal referendum of October 1, 2017, wrote to the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, asking him for a communication. The Italian’s response that "any attack on the Constitution of a Member State is an attack on the legal framework of the Union" became one of the most important statements from the European Union against the secessionist plan. "I think I got the strongest answer that has been available so far. Thus, Europe took up the constitutionalist cause", Becerra adds.

This MEP from the ranks of UPyD was also the protagonist of a video that had a lot of impact on social networks in which she came to rebut the coach Josep Guardiola on the so-called "right to decide". "Making politics is also explaining reality and denying the hoaxes and disinformation of the secessionists," she says.
Her next objective - she explains - is that Europe does not end up financing the "shady businesses of Puigdemont nor his crypto-republic" by way of the lobby CatGlobal that the Catalan escaped former president tried to register in Brussels.

https://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/politica/tres-mujeres-combaten-nacionalismo-europa_227856_102.html