> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Maragall Family Seeks Fuller ERC Apology Over Alzheimer's Posters - URL: https://barna.news/maragall-family-seeks-fuller-erc/ - Published: 2026-09-22T10:02:36.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T10:02:36.000Z - Description: The family of former Barcelona mayor Pasqual Maragall demands a more direct and heartfelt apology from ERC after offensive 2023 election posters. - Author: Laia Serra - Tags: politics Two years after offensive election posters targeting Pasqual and Ernest Maragall sparked public outrage, the Maragall family is calling for a more sincere apology from the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). Cristina Maragall, daughter of the former mayor of Barcelona and president of the Generalitat, said on Monday that neither her family nor the Maragall Foundation has received any direct communication from ERC leadership. She expressed disappointment that the party has not offered a clearer, more empathetic apology to Alzheimer’s patients and their families. "Campaigns like this offend all these families and deserve a more sincere and more appropriate apology, frankly," Cristina Maragall told BTV. --- In July 2024, ARA revealed that posters from ERC’s 2023 Barcelona mayoral campaign, which read "Drive out Alzheimer’s from Barcelona" and featured images of Pasqual and Ernest Maragall, were produced by a covert internal group funded by the party. The group, known internally as "the B", operated with party money channelled through a third-party company called Relevance. The posters were widely condemned for stigmatising dementia and exploiting a degenerative illness for political gain. Ernest Maragall, then the party’s mayoral candidate, later left ERC following the scandal. > "The party apologized at the national council" and these are "facts that shame us all," said ERC secretary general and current mayoral candidate, confirming the internal investigation has concluded. Last Saturday, ERC formally closed its internal investigation, blaming two former senior communications officials, Sergi Sabrià and Marc Colomer, for the offensive material. Both have since resigned from the party, meaning ERC cannot sanction them. Two other individuals involved were classified as "necessary collaborators" and will also face no disciplinary action. While the party has issued a general apology for the harm caused, the Maragall family insists it lacks personal accountability and emotional weight. No senior ERC figure has contacted them directly. ## Covert Campaign Structure Exposed "The B" was a parallel communications unit within ERC that carried out aggressive online campaigns, false flag operations, and street protests against rival parties. It was funded with official party resources, though payments were routed through Relevance to obscure their origin. The Maragall posters were part of a strategy to boost Ernest Maragall’s candidacy by associating his political opponents with cognitive decline, a tactic widely condemned as unethical and dehumanising. Despite the closure of the investigation, questions remain about oversight and accountability within ERC’s leadership. The party maintains that those responsible have been identified and that the matter is now closed. --- *Reported by en.ara.cat, ara.cat, 3Cat, El Periódico, ARA, Diari ARA.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [ERC Pushes for Night Security Boost in Barcelona](https://barna.news/erc-pushes-for-night-security-boost-in/) - [Catalan firefighters demand resources in Barcelona](https://barna.news/catalan-firefighters-demand-resources/) - [800 Generalitat firefighters march in Barcelona](https://barna.news/800-generalitat-firefighters-march-in-barcelona/) - [Barcelona mayoral candidates take shape for 2027](https://barna.news/barcelona-mayoral-candidates-take-shape/)