Neofascist 'Save Europe Act' rally in Barcelona ends in failure

• A neofascist rally in Barcelona, part of the 'Save Europe Act' campaign, failed to attract significant attendance, with counter-protesters outnumbering attendees by a wide margin.
• The campaign, which promotes 'remigration' (mass expulsion of migrants and naturalized citizens), faced overwhelming public opposition.
• The event was marked by a disproportionate number of media personnel compared to actual participants.

Event Dynamics

• The rally took place in Plaça de Sant Jaume, where police cordoned off the area to separate approximately 50 supporters from a crowd of 400–500 counter-protesters.
• 'Reconquista', a youth group affiliated with Vox and led by Toni Estévez and Nayara González, attempted to organize the gathering but demonstrated very low mobilization capacity.
• The event's leaders, Martin Sellner and Eva Vlaardingerbroek, did not attend the Barcelona stop of their European tour.

Ideology and Institutional Rejection

• 'Remigration' as defined by these groups advocates for the expulsion of populations considered ethnically foreign, regardless of legal status or birth origin.
• The European Commission rejected the group's citizens' initiative in July, citing its discriminatory nature against race and ethnic origin, which contradicts EU values.
• Vox maintains a strategic distance from these groups to capture their base while avoiding direct association, though local party officials like Alberto Tarradas were present at the rally.

Local Opposition

• Anti-fascist organizations led by groups like CIEMEN voiced strong opposition, labeling the event as an act of hate rather than free speech.
• Both the local city council and the regional government repudiated the demonstration and pledged to refer instances of hate speech to the public prosecutor.