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

This is a political issue not a legal one. The Spanish Government must enter into meaningful dialogue with the Catalan Government to find a political solution. After what I heard today, people are saying that the dialogue is not happening and that is what is missing. Those people should not be before the courts on charges of rebellion. The Spanish state needs to stop using the Spanish police and the Spanish legal system to attack the Catalan independence movement, which has a legitimate political demand. All of us in this Chamber must raise our voice in support of our Catalan counterparts. We cannot ignore this important issue of democracy and human rights. Will the Minister ensure the Department sends observers to the upcoming trials of the Catalan political prisoners?

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