Junts and ERC clash over Carles Puigdemont's return anniversary

Two years after Carles Puigdemont's brief return to Barcelona, political tensions have resurfaced between the pro-independence parties Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC).

ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián criticized the former president's return, calling it "ridiculous" and an act of "frivolity" that played with the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police force. Rufián accused Junts of causing frustration within the independence movement by undermining local institutions.

Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull responded by accusing Rufián of serving the interests of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) over Catalan independence. Turull characterized Rufián's actions as being driven by a "solitary ego" aimed at undermining unity, referencing past political disputes between the two factions.