Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy

Episode: "La mirada | Najat el Hachmi: 'Aliança catalana: nada nuevo para nosotros'"
Date: November 27, 2025
Host: SER Podcast
Main Speaker: Joan Tardà (with participation from co-hosts)

Episode Overview

This edition of La mirada focuses on the persistent and historical threads of xenophobia within Catalan political movements, particularly in light of recent rhetoric surrounding the far-right party Aliança Catalana, led by Sílvia Orriols. The speaker, Joan Tardà, dismantles the claim that Catalanism has never been xenophobic, providing both historical context and personal reflection on patterns of exclusion and racism in Catalan politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Challenging the Narrative of Non-Xenophobic Catalanism

• Joan Tardà opens by questioning recent claims (specifically referencing himself in third person) that “never, never, never has political Catalanism been xenophobic.”
• He asserts that memory is selective and often shaped by personal bias:
  • "Será que la memoria registra lo que a uno más le duele y perjudica." (00:39)

2. Historical Examples of Exclusion and Racism

• The discussion identifies how exclusionary and racist elements have long existed across a spectrum of Catalanist politics:
  • Convergència i Unió (CiU) — labeled as political Catalanism — previously used exclusionary rhetoric.
  • Specific policies aimed at harming the immigrant population are recalled, drawing upon historical examples like "Bila Dabada, Lembique, que ya llevó a cabo un ‘moving’ anti inmigración" (01:11).

3. Systemic Barriers for Immigrants

• Tardà and the co-host highlight how bureaucratic tools (like the local census or padrón) have historically been used to restrict immigrants’ access to rights:
  • "Usando herramientas como el padrón para impedir el acceso a derechos." (01:19)

4. The Many Faces of Xenophobia Within Catalanism

• Not only "new" immigrants have faced exclusion—those arriving from the rest of Spain were also pressured to assimilate, e.g., by Catalanizing their names:
  • Reference to "una Ferrusola pidiendo que catalanizáramos nuestros nombres." (01:28)
• Even left-leaning Catalan republicans have displayed exclusionary attitudes (mention of Heribert Barrera and communitarianist tendencies).

5. Subtle and Overt Exclusion During the Process (“el Procés”)

• Tardà describes how, during the peak of Catalan independence movements, many Catalans who did not fit the “ideal” profile (“de ocho apellidos”) were effectively ostracized:
  • "Se nos retiró el carnet a todos los que no veníamos." (01:56)

6. Changing Enemies, Same Old Prejudices

• The episode tracks how targets of exclusion have shifted:
  • During the independence process, “the enemy was the so-called unionist, the ‘ñordo españolista’” (02:02).
  • Currently, the scapegoat is “el moro,” referencing Arab and Muslim immigrants, who are, Tardà claims, now targeted not because of political threat but due to poverty or vulnerability (02:07).

7. Denouncing Cowardice in Racism

• The commentary closes with a powerful condemnation:
  • "Se demuestra así que el racismo es cosa de cobardes, muy cobardes." (02:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On selective memory:
  "Será que la memoria registra lo que a uno más le duele y perjudica."
  — Joan Tardà, 00:39

• On exclusion in Catalan politics:
  "Pues no hay más que ir a la hemeroteca para descubrir las tantas veces que se hizo discurso excluyente desde esa posición.”
  — Joan Tardà, 00:54

• On systemic barriers:
  "Usando herramientas como el padrón para impedir el acceso a derechos."
  — Podcast Co-host, 01:19

• On the shifting scapegoat:
  "Entonces el enemigo era el llamado unionista, el ñordo españolista. Ahora es el moro, que no tuvo nada que ver con el pinchazo procesista, pero como es más pobre no cae bien. Pues fotli, que decimos aquí."
  — Joan Tardà, 02:02–02:12

• On the essence of racism:
  "Se demuestra así que el racismo es cosa de cobardes, muy cobardes."
  — Joan Tardà, 02:12

Important Timestamps

• 00:38 – Opening and framing of the issue by Joan Tardà
• 00:54-01:23 – Historical examples of exclusionary rhetoric and policies
• 01:28-01:56 – Reflection on internal Catalan exclusion and forced assimilation
• 02:02-02:12 – Comparison of past and present scapegoats; closing condemnation of racism

Tone & Style

The analysis is sharp, reflective, and direct, mixing personal experience with historical critique. Tardà uses informal, colloquial expressions (“fotli”, “ñordo españolista”) to connect emotionally and underscore the persistence of these social dynamics.

In Summary

This episode of Hoy por Hoy confronts the myth of a non-xenophobic Catalanism, tracing exclusionary tendencies across the political spectrum and time. By examining how targets of discrimination may change yet the underlying prejudices persist, the episode delivers a forceful critique of cowardice behind racism and calls for honest self-examination in Catalan society.