Abascal's walk through Lleida defies its reputation

Vox leader **Santiago Abascal** has taken a walk through the centre of **Lleida**, a city with a strong separatist and immigrant presence, where he was greeted with support from local residents.

Vox leader **Santiago Abascal** starred in an event in **Lleida** that drew attention because of the city's context. His walk along the commercial axis, usually considered "comanche territory" because of its deep separatist roots, ended with a notable welcome and displays of support from those present. This contrasts with the general perception of the city, described as hostile to those who do not share its dominant political currents.

## Lleida: a strategic enclave and its challenges

**Lleida**, a mid-sized city of some **140,000 inhabitants**, sits on a hill crowned by the imposing Gothic cathedral of the **Seu Vella**. Its geographical location, between the Pyrenees and the sea, and its position midway between **Barcelona** and **Zaragoza**, have made it a nerve centre for communications and trade. Historically, its fertile irrigated fields and its river, the **Segre**, have sustained a thriving agri-food industry and commerce sophisticated for its size. It has also acted as a centre of influence for the neighbouring **Huesca**, especially for the area known as **La Franja**, which has always seen **Lleida** as its natural capital for shopping and errands.

However, this advantageous position has been eroded by internal political decisions. In the peak years of the **Procés**, the city, like **Girona**, threw itself fully into the most radical separatism. This drift led to the breaking of ties with its Aragonese area of influence. Gestures such as graffiti reading "here begins the P… Spain" or insults directed at the inhabitants of nearby towns such as **Fraga**, **Binéfar** or **Monzón**, led them to prefer travelling to **Zaragoza**, despite **Lleida** being closer.

## The cost of separatism and immigration

The legal uncertainty generated by **October 1, 2017** dealt a heavy blow to Lleida's economy. Numerous companies decided to move their operations and headquarters to more stable environments, such as the Aragonese municipalities barely twenty kilometres away. This flight of capital and economic activity was compounded by the loss of artistic heritage. The treasures kept in the **Museu de Lleida**, belonging to dioceses that no longer included them, were returned to their towns of origin in Aragon. What for some was a "masterstroke" meant, for many, an own goal that left the city without customers and without part of its cultural legacy.

Political intransigence and extreme separatism have turned **Lleida** into a place perceived as hostile to those who do not share these ideas. The city has seen fewer Spaniards arrive seeking to prosper and build their lives there. Instead, the immigrant population has increased significantly, mainly of North African origin and Muslim culture. Initially attracted by work in the fruit-growing sector, many have stayed, living on social benefits and subsidies provided by successive regional governments. The current situation is described as a critical point, where the population of immigrant origin, which already represents a considerable share of the census, seems to have little intention of integrating, opting instead to impose its own customs, which raises concern about its impact on security and on the rights of Lleida's women and girls.

## An unusual walk and a message of hope

Against this complex backdrop, **Santiago Abascal**, leader of **Vox**, visited **Lleida**. His walk along the longest commercial axis in Europe, with **three and a half kilometres** of pedestrian streets, became a symbolic act. This same axis, once the vibrant heart of the city, is now perceived as a dangerous place after dark, with many shops standing empty. **Abascal** crossed this area, considered by many to be "comanche territory", until he reached **Ricardo Viñes** square, in the upper part of the city. Contrary to what might be expected, his passage was marked not by hostility but by cheers and displays of support.

For many in Lleida, such a walk through the city centre is almost unimaginable, given the perceived dominance of separatism and the danger some attribute to any display of Spanish patriotism. Yet the **Vox** leader experienced a "bath of crowds", receiving affection and ovations. This suggests that part of the population is eager to see that political and social space reclaimed. Perhaps the separatists are not as numerous as they believe, or perhaps the growing presence of immigration, which now stands at around **twenty percent** of the population, has diminished the appetite for confronting constitutionalist neighbours.

The history of **Lleida** is marked by significant events, from its mention in **Dante**'s **Divine Comedy** to the battles of the **Civil War** between **Julius Caesar** and **Pompey**. The harshness of those campaigns on the Lleida plain gave rise to the Latin expression "Ilerdam videas", used to wish the worst of evils upon someone. Yet **Santiago Abascal** visited the city and, far from suffering any harm, found citizens eager to feel supported and to stop feeling alone. The city, which has witnessed so many generations of Spaniards, cannot be allowed to fade into oblivion.