Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta Mattie McGrath.

Self-determination is a human right. It is the foundation of democracy. People have a right to self-determination up to the point where they infringe upon the rights of others. We in Ireland know how important self-determination is. We know too well that the lack of self-determination can be a disaster for a country. We know that when a country's peaceful pathway to achieving self-determination is blocked, it is a recipe for political unrest and chaos. Tragically, Ireland has been in that situation for hundreds of years.

In 1919, the First Dáil issued a message to the free nations of the world seeking recognition of our independence. Most of the countries of that time refused this recognition. Catalonia is Ireland 100 years later. Today, this Dáil business is entitled Statements on Developments in Spain. It is the equivalent of holding a debate on the Black and Tans' burning of Balbriggan and Cork and calling it Statements on the United Kingdom. That shows the Government's mindset and its approach to this issue.

In March 2014, Spain's Constitutional Court ruled that a referendum on Catalonia's independence planned for November was unconstitutional. A simple democratic expression of the people's wishes was unconstitutional. More than 80% of the people who took part in that informal vote for separation from Spain voted for independence. As a result of that expression of self-determination, the Supreme Court of Spain sentenced Catalan leaders to long jail terms for sedition. In one fell swoop, the Spanish Government criminalised democracy.

This is a grave injustice not only against individual democratic leaders but also against the people of Catalonia. It is shocking that this would happen anywhere in 2019. That it happened in the EU in 2019, on our watch, makes a silent Ireland culpable and complicit. It is incredible that the Government is not seeking to do the right thing. Most of the world stood idly by while Britain violently denied Irish democratic aspirations. Are we going to do the same for Catalonia?

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