Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijó said Sánchez was responsible for the “unbearable humiliation” caused by Puigdemont’s failed escape. Feijó called on the prime minister to dismiss Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and intelligence chief Margarita Robles.
“Faced with this farce, the government cannot continue to go on holiday laughing at the Spanish people,” Figo He said.
But that is exactly what Sánchez – and Figo, in particular – did. They stayed on holiday, and this was perhaps the final sign that Puigdemont had become irrelevant, a summer pastime with no political impact.
“It’s an insult to Spain, but at the end of the day, Sanchez is president, Illa is president, and Puigdemont is not. That’s the reality, despite his cruelty and sarcasm,” Torreblanca concluded.
“I didn’t even try”
In the sleepy border town of Portbou, nestled between the foothills of the Pyrenees and the mystical blue Mediterranean, it was clear that police had not been looking for Puigdemont since Friday.
The town has a long history as a transit point for smugglers and refugees. It was a popular stopover for Spanish Republicans fleeing Francisco Franco’s forces, and soon after, for Jews and intellectuals fleeing Nazi Germany, such as Hannah Arendt, Heinrich Mann, and Alma Mahler, who all passed through the town.
