The moral posturing of a left that swallowed things even worse than the Zapatero case

The indictment of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for several crimes has caused a major political earthquake on the Spanish left.

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The Socialist Party (PSOE) is not the only one affected by this earthquake, although it is undoubtedly the most damaged by its effects. This Tuesday we saw a furious reaction from the Spanish far left that reveals the extent to which the scandal affecting the former prime minister can end up dragging down several parties in the Spanish parliament. That explains the slander by Ione Belarra (Podemos) against Aznar and Suárez and the nervous breakdown among other far-left partners in the government, including the Catalan separatist deputy Gabriel Rufián, of ERC.

This Wednesday, Rufián starred in a curious charade. If on Tuesday he attributed Zapatero's indictment to Manos Limpias, Aldama and Iker Jiménez, in a clumsy attempt to discredit the action of Justice in a case that affects the PSOE (yet another clumsy attempt, it should be said, since it is not the first time), Yesterday in Congress, Rufián staged an outcry over this new corruption scandal, stating: "If it's true, it's bullshit. If it's a lie, it's even bigger bullshit."

Rufián's sudden change of heart stems from the fact that the Spanish left is beginning to realize that the PSOE is sinking beyond repair and that any effort to keep it afloat is futile. It's not that the ERC deputy has had a sudden attack of decency. Rufián is fighting for his own political survival, or in other words: to continue receiving a public salary paid by the citizens of this country, which his party professes ideological hatred for.

That moral posturing has no credibility whatsoever, considering the things Rufián's party has been doing for years. Let's remember that ERC was one of the parties that supported the separatist coup of October 1, 2017, in Catalonia, an attempt to undermine the constitutional order and break national unity. Not content with that, ERC and the separatists of Junts obtained an amnesty from Sánchez for the perpetrators of that coup, which is itself one of the biggest acts of corruption in the history of Spain, since it basically consisted of obtaining legal privileges in exchange for the votes necessary for Sánchez's reelection. With that act of corruption, the PSOE and its partners brutally trampled on the rule of law. Rufián was one of the members of parliament who voted in favor of that amnesty.

Perhaps some have forgotten, but in 2023 Rufián boasted of his ability to force Sánchez's government to trample on the rule of law, even demanding a referendum in Catalonia to break up the unity of Spain. He wasn't alone in this boast: ERC was a coalition partner of EH Bildu in the 2019 and 2024 European elections and in the 2023 general elections for the Senate. Rufián and his party had no moral qualms about presenting joint candidacies with a party that does not condemn the murder of 853 people, including 22 children and babies, by ETA terrorists.

Furthermore, and like other far-left Spanish parties, ERC has not hesitated to support dictatorships such as Cuba, Palestine, and Venezuela. The latter is precisely the regime with which Zapatero did business, a regime that has committed all kinds of human rights violations without ERC issuing even the slightest condemnation. Let us recall, for example, that in 2016 ERC voted against asking that dictatorship to release the political prisoners, two years after the UN denounced "beatings, electric shocks, burns, suffocation, sexual assault and threats" by that dictatorship against those prisoners. In 2024, ERC again voted against a parliamentary initiative against the Maduro dictatorship, once again rejecting calls for an immediate end to the repression and the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. In those two votes, Rufián protected that dictatorship with his vote.

So, Rufián and his party have swallowed worse things than Zapatero's shady dealings. Their moral posturing is not only a farce with no credibility whatsoever, but it also represents an example of the cynicism of a left wing capable of supporting the most vile acts and then having the nerve to lecture others on morality.

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Photo: Congreso de los Diputados.