Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As other speakers, I welcome the guests to the Public Gallery. It is good that people are sitting down together. The argument we are putting forward is that people do not only need to sit together, they also need to talk. I have previously raised with the Minister my deep concerns that in the build up to the independence referendum in Catalonia on 1 October there were unprecedented attacks on fundamental rights and civil and political liberties. I do not have the time to go into the background. The Minister is familiar with it. I wrote to him and tabled parliamentary questions. I also wrote to his predecessor on the issue.

On 1 October many of our worst fears were confirmed when we saw horrific incidents of police brutality against peaceful citizens who were simply trying to vote. Over 900 people were injured in this crackdown on democracy. Incredibly, the Spanish Minister for foreign affairs, who appeared on "The Andrew Marr Show" on Sunday, said the images of police violence in Catalonia were fake news. The Deputy Prime Minister said the police violence was proportionate. Does the Minister, Deputy Coveney, believe the Spanish police response was proportionate and acceptable? If he believes it was unacceptable, will he tell his Spanish counterpart this?

We know there are clashing interpretations of the Spanish constitution relating to whether the referendum was legal or illegal. Since the referendum on 1 October, the Catalan Government has reached out to the Spanish state and requested dialogue and negotiation to find a peaceful resolution to their differences. For years, the Spanish Government has repeatedly avoided any dialogue on Catalonia's political demands on the grounds of legalistic arguments.

The Spanish state’s response to this peaceful, reasonable, and thoughtful approach has been one of aggression.

Last week, the head of the Catalan National Assembly, ANC, and the head of Òmnium Cultural, both popular pro-independence civil society organisations, were jailed without bail while their trial on sedition charges continues. Sedition is an extremely serious charge and they face up to 15 years in prison if convicted, yet it seems these same sedition charges were brought forward by the Spanish prosecutor simply because these men took part in peaceful protests in the build up to the 1 October independence referendum and on the day of the vote. I am deeply concerned that the Spanish High Court has jailed these civil society activists and that they are really being prosecuted for organising peaceful demonstrations. These two men should be released immediately.

Over the weekend, the Spanish Government initiated the procedure to suspend Catalan autonomy by invoking article 155 of the Spanish constitution. The Spanish Cabinet agreed to remove the President of Catalonia and all members of the Catalan Cabinet from their posts. Ministries in Madrid will control the management of the Catalan Administration, as well as directing the Catalan local police forces, and Catalonia’s public television and radio channels. The President of Catalonia has called it the worst attack on Catalan institutions since the dictator, General Franco, ordered the end of Catalonia's autonomy.

It is completely unacceptable that the Spanish Government is removing a democratically elected government because it is moving forward with policies for which it has a democratic and legitimate mandate. The current Catalan Government was elected on the promise of holding a binding democratic referendum on independence. There is a pro-independence majority in the Catalan Parliament. The vast majority of Catalans polled consistently want a binding referendum on independence.

In the face of the naked police brutality that we saw and crackdown by the Spanish police, 2.3 million Catalans, nearly 43% of the electorate, still came out to vote on 1 October. The Taoiseach has pointed to this in an attempt to delegitimise the referendum. However, we have had ten different referendums on constitutional amendments in this State with a lower voter turnout than the Catalan referendum, despite those referendums being unhindered, as the Catalan referendum was clearly. We still respected the outcome of those votes.

I have also heard repeated statements that this is an internal matter for Spain. It is clear that what is happening in Catalonia is a matter for everyone who cares about democracy. The Spanish state’s actions are an unacceptable violation of European democratic values. Catalan public representatives democratically elected by citizens are being unilaterally removed by politicians from parties with minimal or no representation in the Catalan Parliament. This is not an internal matter; it is about people’s rights and aspirations.

In my opinion, the Government of Catalonia’s proposal for dialogue is sincere, but it is not compatible with the current repressive climate and rising tension. I urge the Spanish Government to take up this offer and to refrain from applying article 155 and removing the Catalan Government from its elected office. Dialogue is the way forward.

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