[opminion]

> Refusing to speak spanish is a myth

As a general rule, people like to communicate and can't help it, regardless of politics.

Political institutions, on the other hand, might not. So it turns out that, as a foreigner who can speak Spanish in Barcelona, you will find that you'd still need to put the additional effort into learning Catalan in order to take full part in cultural and institutional life.

Whether this is good or bad, is a political question, but it's understandable that some people find it limiting if they have no other relationship with the Catalan language.