Almost a decade after a failed independence bid in Catalonia, anti-migration and anti-Muslim sentiment has replaced secession as the driving force among voters in this wealthy region.
asserted
sentiment → fail → region
A new far-right party, Alianca Catalana, or Catalan Alliance (AC), which wants a crackdown on migration and has targeted Islam as a threat to society, has surged in the polls in a region with the largest Muslim population in Spain.
asserted
which → want → Spain
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The party is on course to become the second biggest political force in Catalonia after the Socialists at the next Catalan regional election in 2028, polls predict.
uncertain
polls → rise → 2028
It has capitalised on the anti-migrant sentiment sweeping Europe, which has seen victories for the far-right in Germany, Italy, and France.
asserted
which → capitalise → Germany
The rise of Catalan Alliance has alarmed Muslims, who fear a backlash in a country which has previously seemed welcoming.
asserted
which → alarm → country
“This has surprised all of us,” said Soukayna El Abdi, president of the Young Moroccans of Ripoll, referring to the party’s growth.
asserted
Abdi → surprise → growth
“Most people come to integrate, to work and live among others.
asserted
people → come → others
They spread lots of things about our community which are not true.”
asserted
which → spread → community
Spain will vote in a snap election in November.
asserted
Spain → vote → November
Polls show the conservative People’s Party and the far-right Vox gaining support.
asserted
Party → show → support
The rise of the Catalan Alliance shows a shift towards the right in the fourth biggest economy in the eurozone.
asserted
rise → show → eurozone
The party backs independence and has taken support from the other secessionist parties, Together for Catalonia and Catalan Republican Left, which were behind the failed bid to break away from Spain in 2017.
asserted
which → back → 2017
“All my friends support Catalan Alliance.
asserted
friends → support → Alliance
There are too many migrants around now and Islam is a threat,” Eduard Lopez, a businessman from Molins de Rei near Barcelona, told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Lopez → be → Jazeera
They failed to do what they said they would.”
asserted
they → fail → ?
A fifth of Spain’s population of nearly 50 million was born outside the country, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE).
uncertain
fifth → bear → Institute
Catalan Alliance started in Ripoll, a small town near the French border.
asserted
Alliance → start → border
It was where members of a cell plotted an attack on Barcelona in 2017 which killed 16 people and was claimed by ISIL.
asserted
which → plot → ISIL
After the 2017 attack, she became fervently anti-Muslim.
asserted
she → become → attack
“If there is no substantial change, the prospects for Catalonia are bleak,” Orriols told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Orriols → be → Jazeera
“The decline in the use of our own language, the depersonalisation of neighbourhoods, the rise in insecurity and crime, the fraudulent use of public services, the mass and invasive immigration, the demographic growth of those who advocate [Islamic] law, the fiscal plundering we suffer by Spain, threaten the welfare state and the rights and freedoms we have achieved up to now.”
asserted
we → advocate → state
She said her party was for “those who have not surrendered to globalisation and barbarism”.
asserted
who → say → globalisation
El Abdi of the Young Moroccans of Ripoll said, “I am very scared.
asserted
I → say → Ripoll
I fear for my parents and my two brothers who still live there.
asserted
who → fear → parents
This racism affects all Muslims.
asserted
racism → affect → Muslims
It started after the 2017 attack in Barcelona.”
asserted
It → start → Barcelona
Ironically, she said, Orriols’ daughters used to be friends with her cousins, but this changed after the Catalan Alliance leader went into politics.
asserted
leader → say → politics
The party currently has just two seats in the Catalan parliament, but polls predict it is set to rival the Socialists to run a region which accounts for 20 percent of the Spanish economy.
asserted
which → have → economy
A poll for El Mundo newspaper, published in September, found the Catalan Alliance would win 25-28 seats, with 16.7 percent of votes if there were an election.
asserted
Alliance → publish → votes
The Socialists would be the largest party but would lose 10 seats, garnering 23.3 percent of support and 19-22 seats.
asserted
Socialists → lose → support
All other secessionist parties would lose out.
asserted
parties → lose → ?
Juan Ignacio Castien Maestro, a specialist in Islamic affairs at the Complutense University in Madrid, said anti-Muslim feeling is on the rise in Spain.
asserted
feeling → say → Spain
“People are focusing on Islamophobia, which has existed for centuries but has risen in Spain in recent years.
asserted
which → focus → years
The Muslim migrant is seen as the symbol of many ills such as the housing crisis, unemployment and other problems.
asserted
migrant → see → crisis
It plays on feelings of insecurity,” he told Al Jazeera.
asserted
he → play → Jazeera
Jose Pablo Martínez, a specialist in migration at the Real Elcano Institute, a think tank in Madrid, said the left-wing Spanish government, unlike many other European countries, is applying a policy which is more favourable towards migration.
asserted
which → say → migration
But “certain sections of the population consider migrants to be competing for their jobs and housing,” he said.
asserted
he → consider → jobs
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