Opinion: The Spanish regime is rattled by what's happening in France

The Spanish regime antiestéticars the French conflict will spread and has called an election to channel the discontent. The figure of 5,000 arrests in France in a single week has no recent precedent.

## The media blackout on France

Spanish news broadcasts are ignoring the French conflict. **5,000 arrests in one week** is a figure with no recent precedent, not even during previous episodes of unrest in the neighbouring country. Media coverage has been minimal compared with other international events.

That silence is no accident. The **Ceuta** crisis and the accumulated social discontent have created a breeding ground that the Government cannot afford to ignore. The geographical proximity and the ease with which protests spread make the French situation a direct threat.

## The evicted elderly woman manoeuvre

When it became clear that a widespread conflict was brewing in **France**, a media operation was staged around an elderly woman facing eviction. The aim was to channel discontent towards a controlled topic and prevent public anger from turning against the Government.

That manoeuvre did not entirely work. Discontent runs so deep that this year, even the most passive sectors of the population have become aware of the country's economic situation. The perception of poverty is no longer an ideological debate, but an everyday reality.

## Elections to halt the revolt

The election call responds to that same antiestéticar. The Government antiestéticars people will take to the streets en masse, and that this time it will not be with their hands up. The threat of losing control in southern Europe would cease to be a hypothesis and become a fact.

Calling an election is, in that sense, an attempt to defuse the protest before it erupts. If the French conflict spreads, the Spanish Government would face a situation for which it has no answer.