Joan Pons, the anti-Catalan who wants to impose Gonellism on the Menorca Council

PalmA year before the 2023 regional elections, Joan Pons (Ciutadella, 1993) was a vocal critic of Marga Prohens's People's Party (PP). "She's a Catalan nationalist; all her Twitter is in standard Catalan," he denounced in April 2022. YouTube channel"This is the one that will defend the interests of Balearic culture against pan-Catalanism." Pons then directed Sa Fundació, an organization with a Gonella tendency, although the denial of the unity of the Catalan language in Menorca is known as Saladism, as it goes An expert on the ARA Baleares explainsA year later, the People's Party (PP) recruited him to prevent his youthful, populist profile from siphoning votes from Vox. "They didn't expect to govern in Menorca," explains a political opponent. Shortly after, Pons became Minister of Culture and, from this position, has spearheaded the attack on standard Catalan within the institution through a proposed amendment to the Regulations on Linguistic Uses. If approved, this amendment would incorporate Spanish into the institution and prioritize "linguistic forms of Menorcan."

"He's a great guy," says a source close to Vox in Menorca. In fact, several sources consulted explain that rumors on the island suggested he would eventually join the far-right party. He often expressed his anti-Catalan views in the Menorca Daily, where he positioned himself in favor of the toponym Mahón Instead of Maó, he asserted that "Castilian is not the enemy," but rather Catalan. "Catalan in Catalonia will have its unity," he declared on his YouTube channel: "They deny us the linguistic unity of Balearic and Valencian, which are very old and well-documented." He is also leaving aligning with Vox on other issues in the same newspaperHe rejected laws in favor of feminism and LGBTQ+ rights and lashed out against historical memory. Furthermore, he praised the Italian Prime Minister, the ultraconservative Giorgia Meloni. However, since joining the ranks of the People's Party, he has softened his statements. "We are nothing but defenders of Menorcan," he explained. in the same newspaper In April 2023, shortly before the elections, in an interview, he retracted his previous stance against the unity of the Catalan language. Be that as it may, since arriving at the Menorca Council, alongside the former Vox councilor (now unaffiliated), he has made a reversal against standard Catalan.

Despite the sympathy he enjoys among Vox supporters, the party's former provincial leader and current member of Congress, Jorge Campos, once described him as a "dangerous" figure, explains a knowledgeable source. The reason is that, although he writes in a scathing style and promotes a distinction from standard Catalan, Pons maintains Catalan in most of his speeches, including in the Island Council, unlike the leaders of the far-right party who, while denying the unity of the Catalan language, prioritize Spanish. "He defends the true Menorcan dialect, and he writes correctly," notes this source, who describes him as a "welcoming, culturally refined, athletic" person and "well-regarded" in Menorcan social circles: "He has a very extensive circle of friends."

A political opponent agrees, stating that he has "a friendly and moderate image" in plenary sessions. However, the same source describes him as an exponent of "Menorcan-style Trumpism." "He makes a false defense of Menorcan traditions and goes overboard with the saltiness, using the definite article 'salted' where it wouldn't be appropriate," this source points out, adding that this more inflammatory faction has weakened the Menorcan PP in recent years. Proof of this, they explain, is the recent appointment by the Council of the ultraliberal and former Ciudadanos deputy Marcos de Quinto as Speaker at the Diada of Menorca

"The Menorcan PP is very pro-Spanish," asserts Josep Castells, a member of parliament for Més per Menorca. "The regionalist soul of the Mallorcan PP doesn't exist in Menorca," he claims, criticizing the Island Council for being "hijacked by this man's ultra-nationalist ideology": "He has clear ideas and stands out; he sets the tone." What does Prohens' team think? For now, the Balearic PP isn't bothered by the situation. In fact, the party has agreed to debate several initiatives aligned with the Gonellist ideology of the Speaker of Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne (Vox), in the Bureau, such as requesting a report from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) on the possibility of maintaining theSalty article of the speakers in the transcripts in the Journal of Proceedings"We have no friction whatsoever with the Menorcan PP," sources from the Balearic Government point out. "Their position is compatible with the party as long as it adheres to the Law on Linguistic Normalization and the Decree of Minimum Standards," they explain. "Prohens is also in favor of defending and promoting the use of the linguistic varieties of the Islands."