Alsina responde a Junts por su ataque al programa de Iñaki Gabilondo sobre la lengua española

Junts believes the program contains a "historical falsehood" by denying the imposition of Castilian Spanish and even argues that it should no longer be broadcast. The problem of bilingualism in education in Catalonia: "Disciplinary proceedings have been opened for using Castilian Spanish." #junts #psoe #spain https://www.ondacero.es/noticias/espa... The controversy is brewing. Carlos Alsina addressed the issue this Tuesday on the Más de Uno talk show, which has been sparked by Junts' request to remove "La gran aventura de la lengua española" (The Great Adventure of the Spanish Language), the program presented by Iñaki Gabilondo on RTVE's La 2 channel, which aims to explain the origins and history of the Spanish language. The pro-independence party believes the program "falsifies historical reality" by claiming that Spanish was not imposed across the board on the indigenous peoples of the Americas during the conquest. Alsina explained that the program, produced in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute and the Royal Spanish Academy, traces the history of Spanish from its origins and noted that the complaint comes from the Junts representative on the RTVE board, Miquel Calzada, known on television as 'Mikimoto'. According to Alsina, the pro-independence party believes the program should no longer be broadcast. "What falsifies history is precisely the complaint." The first to speak was David Jiménez Torres, who flatly rejected Junts' accusation. The PhD in Hispanic Studies from the University of Cambridge and professor in the Department of History argued that during the first centuries after the conquest, missionaries not only tolerated indigenous languages ​​but also helped to codify them to facilitate evangelization. He recalled that many of the first grammars and studies of Nahuatl, Quechua, and Guarani were produced precisely by religious figures. "What distorts history is precisely the complaining," he stated, before clarifying that the linguistic homogenization promoted by the Crown would arrive centuries later, especially with the Bourbon reforms of the 18th century. For his part, Rubén Amón emphasized this same idea and contextualized the expansion of Castilian Spanish within the workings of any great empire. In his view, having a common language did not necessarily imply eliminating existing linguistic variations, but rather fostering cultural and administrative unity. He also noted that much of the knowledge that exists today about many indigenous languages ​​was made possible thanks to the work of those who studied, translated, and wrote them down during colonization. "Linguistic unification was characteristic of any empire," Amón explained. For Marta García Aller, it is striking that Junts is focusing its attention on this documentary when, in her opinion, RTVE is addressing much more relevant debates. The journalist ironically pointed out that there are numerous complaints from corporation employees about the growing influence of external production companies and the loss of airtime for in-house journalists, while the political controversy is now focused on a discussion about the history of Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries. Marhuenda: "Public broadcasting has become a crony of Sánchez's party." Pilar Velasco focused on the political discourse of Junts. She explained that she was surprised that the party was now portraying Iñaki Gabilondo as the supposed representative of a "supremacist" discourse on Spanish. In her opinion, the party has been using this framework for some time in various political debates, from immigration to Catalan language policy. Velasco argued that it is legitimate to debate Castilian Spanish, Catalan, or their historical evolution, but considered the way Junts is framing this controversy "delusional." Paco Marhuenda was the most forceful speaker at the table. The editor of La Razón argued that Catalan nationalism has built its historical narrative on "lies" and criticized both Miquel Calzada's actions and the current method for electing the RTVE Board of Directors. In his opinion, the public broadcaster has become "a crony of the Sánchez administration," while also warning that the political precedents in the appointment of board members could be repeated in future changes of government. Carlos Alsina closed the debate by reminding everyone that, although any professional can publicly defend journalistic neutrality, in the case of RTVE, that neutrality is not only a desirable principle, but an obligation. "At Televisión Española, neutrality is politically obligatory, regardless of individual opinions. It is mandatory," Alsina concluded.