Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his statement on recent happenings in Catalonia. I recently spent a week in the region during which time the referendum was to take place. There was not a single day that I did not go down to the Palace of the Generalitat to observe the protests. We must be very clear that what happened is unacceptable. With all due respect, it is disappointing to note the failure of the Minister of State, in line with the same failure on the part of the Government, to condemn this violence unequivocally. We in Europe need to learn from our history. The proposal on which the Catalonian people were to vote asked whether they wished to be ruled or administered by a new republic. As we know, a true republic is about equality, access, dignity and allowing people to exercise their rights in a democratic way. I am a strong advocate of the republic. We must never lose sight of what a true republic is about and what it represents.

The European response to the crisis has been disappointing. Whether one is from the Basque region, Catalonia, Madrid or any other part of Spain, one is a European. All of those people are citizens of the European Union and should, as such, be protected. The EU should be defending the rights of its peoples. I do not wish to say too much about the internal workings of Spain because I recognise there are particular constitutional arrangements to do with the administration of the country and so on. We in Ireland would resent - and do resent, in some cases - any interference in how our country is run. It is disappointing that member states of the EU and the institution itself have not come out strongly on this issue. We are seeing the beginning of a fragmented Europe both in the realm of economics and in respect of a shared culture and sense of belonging. People are becoming more and more alienated and the space that has opened up is being filled by extremism. We must be conscious of that and of the lessons of history. My understanding of the EU was always that it would defend the rights of its citizens.The European Union and its predecessors assisted this country greatly in getting, and vindicating, rights on many issues and we owe a great deal to it. That is my real concern. We must acknowledge that all people in Spain are citizens of the European Union and the European Union should stand firm in solidarity with its people.

The Government needs to come out unequivocally and condemn the violence. I saw the violence there; I speak as someone who witnessed people being intimidated, being clobbered over the head and being dragged, viciously beaten and kicked by the authorities there. Irrespective of what authority they had, it was not right and proper. As politicians, or for that matter as citizens, we do not suspend our critical faculties. We do not have to remain silent or be gagged because we are members of the club called the European Union. We do not have to stand shoulder to shoulder and let it go on. If we fail to condemn it, we are part of it. That is my concern.

There were young people, old people, families, workers and the unemployed. There was a vast range of people there but they had the right to gather in a public place. They had the right to have a view, and to express their view. They had the right to disagree and whatever about the constitutionality of the referendum - that is a matter for Spain and other authorities - nobody had a right to beat them, humiliate them and walk all over them. What is more disturbing is that the Union, our country and other member states of the European Union did little in response.

I make a prediction. There will be European Parliament elections in 2019. Young people do not want to support or be part of a Europe that stands idly by and does nothing but, more importantly, whose leaders turns a blind eye to violence and humiliation and do not allow people peacefully assemble and talk about a new vision and a new way for their country or region. I certainly do not and I am in my 50s. That is what is at stake. For most people in Europe, it is not actually about the entire workings of Spain. It is about the great organisation called the European Union that was going to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in solidarity, that remembered the Europe of the past and that advocated for a new Europe of the future, but it has failed abysmally. What will happen is people will move off and vote for different extremes and that vacuum will be filled.

I hope these matters will be resolved internally by agreement. It makes economic sense. It makes sense for many reasons. It is a matter for the Spanish people to stick together, to consolidate, to grow their economy, their country and their opportunities for what a great country it is.

We have a road to travel too, and that is my criticism today. I understand the Spanish Senate is meeting on Friday and it will discuss this matter. I understand, even from today's news, that there is ongoing negotiation and dialogue for a resolution. As democrats, we have to welcome that. Hopefully, we will have a resolution to this dispute. Let us be clear that we, if we sit idly by, will lose people. The European ideal, the expectation that it would stand in solidarity with its people, is steadily being lost and it is something we need to wake up to.