Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I issue a fáilte Uí Cheallaigh to the Spanish ambassador and his colleagues. Irish ambassadors all over the world expect and get respect in the vast majority of countries. We must keep diplomatic channels open at all times and engage with that process.

Catalonia, of which Barcelona is the capital city, has more than 7.5 million inhabitants. It is a well known fact that the region has traditionally been one of the most dynamic industrial and innovative areas of Spain. It is with immense sorrow that we witnessed the increasing escalation of hostilities between the central government and the governing authorities and people of Catalonia. The violence and protests are deeply disturbing and are increasingly pushing the country into something that could be akin to a mini civil war. As people who witnessed similar events here from 1969 up to a number of years ago, in respect of which there is still some baggage hanging around, we do not want to see that happen in any country. At the end of the day, it is the ordinary people who suffer. Sin an scéal i gconaí.

It is the ordinary people - the man or woman on the street, the ordinary shopkeeper, small businessman or farmer - and their children who suffer. While Members can appreciate the desire of the Spanish Government to impose respect for the constitutional process, we can also sympathise with the deeply felt desire of the Catalonian people for self-determination and are well aware of such desire because of Ireland's centuries-long struggle for independence.

The events in Catalonia are part of a much wider process engulfing Europe and the western world. People are sick, sore and tired of being dictated to by central governments. That has been the case in Ireland. That was obvious when the banking situation was discussed earlier in the House and the Government showed it is totally out of touch and supports those in the banking sector at the expense of ordinary people. Does the Government expect people to lie down? One can only kick a dog so many times before it will get up and bark and bite. A movement for increased self-determination is also under way in Lombardy and Veneto in Italy.

I qualify my sympathy and support for the Catalonian people by saying that any violence committed by either side of the conflict must be rightly condemned. Members saw the reactions at polling booths to polling going ahead. I was horrified to see the ferocity involved and people arriving with sledges, axes and other equipment to break down polling booths and tear people out of them. It is hard to believe that could happen in a modern-day society such as Spain. It must be condemned, as must violence on any side. The Minister will condemn that because no Member of this House condones such conduct.

There has been an almost total focus on the action of the Spanish authorities. However, Peter Preston noted in an article for The Guardiannewspaper that the head fact checker for the El Objectivetelevision show claimed many pictures purporting to be of the Catalan demonstrations were faked. The fact checker produced web pictures of bleeding protesters that went viral but were actually from a miners’ strike that took place five years previously. A photo of a woman who had allegedly had all her fingers broken was misrepresentative and the woman did not have broken fingers. It was alleged that a six year old boy had been paralysed by police brutality but that did not happen, thank God. We need facts, not fake news. People can use the internet to portray a certain perspective of events to the public. We need to bear that in mind in assessing the impact of the situation in Catalonia on Europe as a whole.

Respect for the democratic process must be the winner. The Minister said that in any democracy political developments must be placed within a legal framework, which is a fundamental requirement, not a procedural point because if the rights of all citizens are to be protected, respect for the rule of law, its possibilities, protections and limits is an obligation, not a choice. I agree with that. I also note that the Minister said we can disagree with the law and work to change it but we cannot ignore or act beyond it.

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, comprising Deputy Michael Healy-Rae and me among others, I hope an outcome to the crisis can be reached sooner rather than later. Perhaps a fellow Tipperary man, former Member of the House, former diplomat and iarSheanadóir, Dr. Martin Mansergh, could help because he has gone to many parts of the world, was very involved in the peace process in Northern Ireland, as members of Sinn Féin will acknowledge, and is respected by all sides. We need people with cool heads and those who will respect the law and ensure there is a culture of respect for the law by all sides and people. I hope the Minister will be able to lend his support to that. Ireland is a peace-loving nation that has contributed peacekeepers and other services all over the world and it will be able to help in some way. Catalonia will, hopefully, return to peace, a solution and a bóthar díreach amach of the impasse will be found and Catalans will be able to get back to raising their families and carrying out their work in a peaceful, pragmatic manner while respecting the values of all sides.

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