Last week, as the world Elites sought to fixate the public’s gaze on the escalations geopolitically and militarily in Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia, a rather important development politically took place on Western Europe’s Iberian peninsula. A situation unfolded which might only have been thought possible in a Jason Bourne film. A fugitive on the run from a corrupt government apparatus makes an appearance in a politically fraught situation, turns the tables on his pursuers, and then vanishes from the scene, leaving little to no clue as to how he escaped his pursuers’ grasp. The whole event was a public relations disaster of immense proportions for the Globalist forces struggling to keep their one world government agenda alive. It also inspired hope and fired the imagination of a people who have been ground especially hard under the iron boot of the Elite classes of Madrid for almost a decade.
The situation was the return of exiled Catalan independence leader Carles Puigdemont to Catalonia after a seven year exile to address the people whose independence he has worked for at great personal cost for the last eight years. In 2017, while serving as President of the Catalan regional government, he and the Catalan Parliament held the Catalan independence referendum in which the people of Catalonia voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence. In response to the vote and subsequent Catalan declaration of independence, the Elites in Madrid dispatched a heavily militarized police force to brutally repress the Catalan people. Puigdemont and members of his government fled into exile in a bid to keep the Catalan independence effort alive politically, and they have worked for the independence of their homeland from abroad ever since.
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The Elites in Madrid implemented a totalitarian crackdown on all those who had supported Catalan independence in any way. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Catalans were convicted of “political crimes” and either sentenced to prison or severely penalized. Public displays of Catalan independence symbols were outlawed by Madrid and those who disobeyed were subjected to extensive lawfare attacks. By early 2023, the Elites were so confident they had the Catalan situation in hand that the French and Spanish leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sanchez, held a summit in Barcelona, which was seen as a deliberate mocking of the Catalans and their independence hopes.
The Elite-created narrative of a dying Catalan independence movement was proven false six months later with the 2023 Spanish general elections where Catalan independence parties ended up holding the kingmaker power to determine which general side could form a ruling coalition. As part of an agreement for their support, Spanish prime minister Sanchez promised a full amnesty for all those who had been prosecuted for supporting the referendum. Though an amnesty law was eventually passed, Elitist factions in Madrid have gone to great lengths to hinder and cripple it’s implementation, especially in regards to Puigdemont, who they are clearly trying to prevent from returning to Catalonia.
In addition, to try and re-create the narrative of a fading Catalan independence movement, the Spanish Elites seized upon the inconclusive results of the May 2024 local Catalan elections as a sign of the fading of Catalan independence popularity. A closer look at the actual results does not support this narrative however, as Catalan independence parties clearly still won the most seats (though not an absolute majority) in the Catalan Parliament, and took three of the five parliamentary leadership positions. Though the socialists took the Catalan presidency, they were able to do so only by forming a coalition with a pro-independence party. The governing setup could hardly be construed as a true setback for Catalan separatism, though the Globalist media went out of its way to try and portray it as such.
The Globalists’ public portrayal of the Catalan situation was utterly shattered, however, by Puigdemont’s sudden return and the fallout which resulted. In a brazen show of defiance, Puigdemont announced ahead of time that he intended to return to Catalonia on the day the new Catalan parliament officially took office. Speculation ran rife on what would happen if he were to be arrested upon his return, as active arrest warrants were still out in Spain for him. There were also questions as to why he would so openly announce his return ahead of time and so alert Spanish law enforcement to be on the lookout for him.
Then the day arrived and events moved quickly. True to his word, Puigdemont returned to Catalonia. He addressed a large crowd at the iconic Arc de Triomf monument with a simple message:
“I’ve come today to remind you that we’re still here,” Puigdemont told thousands of cheering supporters. “Long live Catalonia!”
Source: Catalonia ex-leader Puigdemont returns to Spain despite arrest warrant
It was what happened next which truly shocked all observers following the situation however. Though Puigdemont had originally announced his intent to go to the Catalan Parliament, which he is still technically a member of, it was quickly realized that such a move would be impossible because of the police presence. As his speech ended, the police moved into to arrest Puigdemont. However Puigdemont’s supporters bundled him away from the scene so quickly that the police soon lost all track of him and had to resort to draconian stop-and-search measures of cars all across Catalonia in their efforts to find him. Hours later word emerged that Puigdemont had successfully left Spain and was returning to his place of exile in Belgium. Dumbfounded Spanish authorities expressed their doubts initially that Puigdemont could have escaped, but within a day video evidence emerged confirming Puigdemont had safely returned to Belgium.
As the dust settled from the whole affair, the ramifications of what had just happened became clear. In one of the most brilliantly executed public image maneuvers ever, Puigdemont had exposed the lies of the Elites for the world to see. If the Catalan independence movement had truly been in decline as the Globalist Elites claimed, there would have been no way for Puigdemont to both get in and out of Catalonia without being arrested, let alone address a cheering crowd of supporters. The details of his return and subsequent escape showed not only Catalans, but also much of the world, what the reality of the situation in Catalonia was; the reality which the Elites had been trying for so long to cover up. The cause of Catalan independence was alive, strong, and well.
The other blow Puigdemont struck at the Elites was in showing up their hideous incompetence. The failure of the Elitist-dominated Spanish government to apprehend the man who is likely their most wanted fugitive internationally, especially when they were given a golden opportunity to do so within their own borders, is an embarrassment of incredible magnitude. It is a serious challenge to the legitimacy of the Spanish national government in the eyes of the public. It raises the question in the minds of their people of whether the Spanish leaders and governing institutions are in any way competent to handle the nation’s challenges, whether real or elite-driven. With such doubts now sown among the people, support for more local-based self-governing movements across Spain will inevitably grow as further incompetence on the part of the Elite classes becomes more and more apparent.
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The greatest impact Puigdemont’s adventure had on the world however, was in revealing the two distinct Achilles Heels which afflict the Elites’ and their Globalist agenda. He showed the stark truth that the Elites are completely detached from reality and how that lack of knowledge about the realities among the people can be used against them by those who oppose the Globalist agenda. He also revealed the sheer depth of the incompetence which exists among those clueless individuals who the Elites have placed in the positions of governmental power and influence to implement the Globalist agenda. While the Elite circles themselves may contain some individuals who can boast strategic talent, the people beneath them who they have have tasked with carrying out the implementation of the Globalist agendas are largely uninventive, single-minded, yes-men. These individuals possess no ability to think rationally for themselves and so are unable to adequately address challenges and resistance which comes from those who oppose the Globalist agenda and are inventive enough to design clever pushbacks against this agenda. Individuals like Puigdemont and those who assisted in his brilliant caper. These revelations should stir great hope in the hearts of local resisters to the Globalist agenda that they too may succeed in the long run in their resistance if they attack the Elites where they are most vulnerable: in using reality to their advantage, and in taking advantage of the sheer incompetence of the lower-level minions.
There is a scene in the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” film where two of the heroes, Jack Sparrow and Will Turner, engage in a rather unorthodox tactic to reach a ship they wish to commandeer without being observed approaching it. As they carry it out, Turner observes: “This is either madness or brilliance.” Sparrow answers: “It’s remarkable how often those two traits coincide.” Puigdemont’s tactics in his recent escapade clearly fall into that category. On the face of it, the chance taken was immense and the immediate impact was minimal. However, the magnitude of the Elites’ failure in the affair was such that they felt compelled to scramble together a weak narrative that the whole matter was actually a defeat for Puigdemont. In the bigger picture however, Puigdemont’s strategy was clearly planned for the long-term: to de-legitimize the authority of the Spanish Elites in the eyes of the wider world by showing the reality of local Catalan support for independence, and exposing the incompetence of the Elitist tyrants in Madrid. In this he succeeded in spectacular fashion, and may have earned himself a place in the history books as one of the world’s most brilliant inspirers of resistance to tyranny.
Sources:
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/how-we-got-here-president-quim-torra-s-disqualification-by-spain-s-supreme-court
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/catalan-independence-flag-banned-from-public-square
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/former-president-torra-disqualified-for-further-15-months-for-second-disobedience-case
https://keepgovlocal.locals.com/post/3342791/secession-speakeasy-7-catalonia-independence-resurrecting
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/pro-independence-groups-call-for-protest-coinciding-with-macron-sanchez-summit-in-barcelona
https://keepgovlocal.locals.com/post/5083458/secession-speakeasy-47-catalan-separatists-seizing-the-momentum
Spain Amnesties Catalan Separatists, Including for Violent Crimes
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/judges-take-first-legal-steps-after-amnesty-law-comes-into-force-while-accused-seek-pardon
https://www.catalannews.com/catalan-election-2024/item/inconclusive-results-in-catalan-election-what-happens-now
https://www.catalannews.com/catalan-election-2024/item/international-press-pro-independence-loss-catalan-election-13-may-2024
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/8/socialist-salvador-illa-elected-leader-of-spains-catalonia
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/7/ex-catalan-leader-puigdemont-headed-back-to-spain-despite-fear-of-arrest
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/8/catalonia-ex-leader-puigdemont-returns-to-spain-despite-arrest-warrant
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/9/ex-catalan-separatist-leader-puigdemont-leaves-spain-after-avoiding-arrest
https://www.catalannews.com/politics/item/puigdemont-back-in-waterloo
Grant M. Dahl (@ProfessorWall76) is an independent educator, podcaster, self-determination advocate, and grassroots veteran of the Ron Paul 2012 campaign. He holds a bachelors degree in history and a masters degree in education. He opines on self-determination-oriented topics regularly as co-host of the podcast Secession Speakeasy, on his Substack at keepgovlocal.substack.com, and on his subscription site: keepgovlocal.locals.com.
This originally appeared on The State of Division.
