Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of Catalonia to highlight that a representative of the Assemblea Nacional Catalana or ANC, a non-party political organisation, will visit the Oireachtas at noon tomorrow to meet representatives of all parties and provide an update on the current situation in Catalonia. I encourage Senators to attend the meeting. What we have witnessed since the successful outcome of the referendum on Catalonian independence has been the unmasking of an authoritarian Spanish state. From rejecting the democratic will of the Catalan people to the use of brutal violence to suppress their civil rights to locking up its political leaders, the Spanish state is now abusing its judicial institutions to prosecute innocent political leaders who it perceives as a threat to its law and order. The judicial system is not a place for political conflicts to be resolved. Political differences are resolved through dialogue and the ballot box, which is precisely what the Catalan people did when they democratically voted for independence.

The continued repression of Catalan democracy is reprehensible and counterproductive. The arrest of Charles Puigdemont and the violent response of the Spanish police to the protests that followed have highlighted that the Spanish Government is firmly wedded to a policy of aggression. The dispute between the people of Catalonia and the Spanish state over independence will not be resolved by incarceration and violence. The mask has slipped when it comes to the Spanish state, and its institutionalised authoritarianism and anti-democratic nature have been exposed. This has also exposed the European Union's lack of empathy and a lack of desire for true human rights in the Union. The EU has a duty to move with urgency. It must show leadership in convincing the Spanish Government that dialogue and mediation are the only way to resolve this crisis. Sinn Féin believes Ireland may well have a positive role to play in this regard. For this reason, I call for a debate on the issue and ask that the Minister come to the House as a matter of urgency when we return after the break.