Faced with this Spanish reaction, the Catalan government of Carles Puigdemont found no other option than to declare the independence of Catalonia, for which the people had voted. The declaration of independence was unanimously approved by the Catalan Parliament and has now been declared historically. More than 70 countries expressed their views on the issue, mostly against it, as is normal in cases of this type, so as not to conflict with an existing state until independence is effectively established and international recognition of the new state is formal.
At that time, the Catalan government did not want to ask the citizens to defend independence in the streets, as they were sure that the Spanish state would react violently against a nation that resisted massively and peacefully. This is why President Puigdemont was forced into exile in Belgium following his immediate arrest. He has been elected to the European Parliament, where he defends Catalonia’s right to independence and fights in the EU courts.
Five years later, the resolutions of the European Court of Justice are coming out, so the Council of Europe has published on 25 October new resolution drawn up by its Secretary-General, Marija Pejčinovićwhich is a continuation of the Council of Europe agreement Cilevics report which criticized Spain’s reaction to the Catalan independence movement. It also monitors the report UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention who found Spain’s repression completely unacceptable. A new Council of Europe report argues that it is legitimate to seek independence for a European region as long as it is done without resorting to or inciting violence. This is completely negated by the Spanish legal system, which persecutes the peaceful Catalan independence movement as if it were terrorism.
We already showed five years ago that we are committed to a negotiated solution. The next time we are at the same point, and it won’t be long, we will not stop looking for negotiated solutions, but will continue to fight non-violently Gandhi-style to rule the region with a mob that will disobey and take over the Spanish state. If Spain uses the police and the army against a peaceful population, Europe must take this responsibility with a conscience.
Factor: Jordi Oriola Folch
HT
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Source: The Nordic Page