Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Government to use the opportunity of the Council meeting to stand up for democracy and human rights. In 2017, the elected representatives of the Catalan people, in line with the pre-election mandate they had received, facilitated a referendum on independence. That referendum, which was held on 1 October 2017, was met with a violent response from Spanish state forces. Voters were physically attacked as they made their way to vote, in what were unprecedented scenes in modern western European history. Despite this, more than 2 million Catalans voted for independence and the reaction of the Spanish state was excessive and destructive.

The Catalan Parliament was dissolved and political leaders imprisoned - jailed, let us remind ourselves - for that heinous crime of organising a democratic vote. Community leaders, political activists, even musicians have since also been jailed for participating in peaceful political activities. The Spanish Government is even attempting to remove democratically elected Catalan representatives from their positions as Members of the European Parliament. The actions of the Spanish Government have been disappointing, if not all that surprising, but it has been the inaction of the European institutions that has been most disconcerting. If the events I have just described occurred in certain parts of South America or Asia, the outcry from EU leaders would be deafening.

We in Ireland know about the consequences of powerful governments denying the right to self-determination. More than 100 years ago, the people voted for independence and the British Government refused to accept that mandate, instead opting for violence, oppression and, eventually and ultimately, the partition of our country. Its failure to accept the right to self-determination continues to have consequences, as the EU has learned following and as a result of Brexit.

It is tragic that the Spanish Government has not learned from the mistakes of its British counterpart a century ago, but it is utterly shameful that the Union has allowed the Catalan crisis to fester. It is shameful that not one EU leader has stood up for democracy, for human rights and for justice on behalf of people within the Union. They cannot credibly lecture others on these matters while this situation continues within European borders. In the absence of a semblance of leadership emerging from the figureheads of the European Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, it is incumbent on Ireland to provide that leadership. In acknowledgement of our history and experience of democracy denied and of peacebuilding and reconciliation, we are perfectly placed to stand up for the rights of our fellow Europeans in Catalonia.

I urge the Taoiseach to use the opportunity of this week's European Council meeting to make that stand on behalf of the people, democracy and self-determination. It is the very least our fellow Europeans should expect from this proud fellow nation.

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