This week there were fierce debates in Barcelona. Since the last local elections there is a left-wing coalition led by Podemos forming a majority in the second biggest city of Spain. Last week a buste of King Juan Carlos was taken away from a piedestal in the city hall, placed in a box with unknown destination. The Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the local opposition in Barcelona) took a state portrait of King Felipe VI into the municipal assembly. The portrait was placed on a chair, visible for all. Hastily a clerk from the council picked up the picture and removed it. The Council explained the bust of King Juan Carlos and the photo of King Felipe VI were removed "to trim the overdose of royal symbolism" in the city.
In the end of September there are elections in Catalonia and the separatists have announced to grab this opportunity to call for an independent republic of Catalonia, with Barcelona as capital. King Felipe VI, who regularly visits Spain, was at the same time visiting Barcelona, where he presided the investiture of new magistrates. In the presence of the separatist regional president, Mr Artur Más, the King stressed the importance of obedience to the democratic laws as an ultimate guarantee for the freedom of all citizens. "The Constitution is the fundamental law which has given us the most stable period ever in our history" so stated the King.
The words of King Felipe VI were immediately seen as an exceptional warning to the Catalonian regional president, that he is manoeuvering dangerously close to the limits of the state of law. The President remained silent in the presence of the King but outside he said to journalists that he felt not at all addressed by the King's words.
In the meantime the immensely popular former FC Barcelona footballer and trainer, now trainer of Bayern München, Pep Guardiola, has publicly declared to back Catalonian independence and the establishment of a republic. The city of Zaragoza has decided to rename the Pavillion Príncipe Felipe into that of Pavillion José Luis Abós, after a former local famous handball-player. The municipality of Montcada i Reixah (near Barcelona) has also removed the state portrait of King Felipe VI. In Cádiz the portrait of King Juan Carlos has been removed and no new portrait was ordered, now the empty space in the municipal council filled with a painting of art.
The Vice Prime Minister of Spain, Mrs Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría y Antón, has warned municipalities to respect the legal obligation to have a painting, a bust, a picture, etc. to depict the head of state. It seems the new left-wing Mayor of Madrid (from Podemos) has started all this by removing the photo of King Felipe VI out of her office in the Madrid City Hall. Mrs Sáenz de Santamaría sarcastistically stated: "Look, that is now their contribution to democracy".
El ‘efecto Colau’ contra sÃ*mbolos monárquicos se extiende | Cataluña | EL PAÃS
Needless to say that all this is pretty relativating the hurrah!-posts above about an assumed "boost in popularity". It is just where, when and who the pollers asked.