Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of Catalonia. I mentioned it briefly during our debate on Europe Day last week. I want to bring to the attention of the House the fact that there have been systematic attacks on different layers of Catalonian society. To date, nine politicians have been jailed. There are no dates for trial. Effectively, they are being interned. A total of 900 mayors are being investigated for facilitating the referendum last year. Former officials of the Catalan Government have been charged with misuse of funds simply for inviting people - diplomats - to visit Catalonia, which is something that has gone on for years. Civil rights groups are under attack for giving out information. For handing out leaflets, they have been charged with hate speech and hate crimes. Teachers are being prosecuted for hate crimes. Their crime was to facilitate debate in schools. Simply to facilitate a debate is now a crime in Catalonia. The firemen who courageously defended people when they were voting are being charged. They were standing in the way of police who were trying to batter people at the time. They are being charged with hate crimes. The colour yellow has effectively been banned in Catalonia. At the Copa del Rey final involving Barcelona a few weeks ago, yellow T-shirts - no slogans just yellow in colour - were taken off the people wearing them. The speaker of the Catalonian Parliament has been arrested for facilitating a debate in the Chamber. What we have, right here in Europe, is effectively the most horrendous authoritarian clampdown on civil rights, even on freedom of speech.

I wish to request a debate on this matter. One does not have to be in favour of Catalan independence - I certainly am and I make no apologies for it - to recognise that something fundamentally wrong is happening in Catalonia right now. There is an horrendous clampdown on civil rights. I do not think any of us should be willing to countenance the wall of silence that has been built up in respect of this matter. We need to speak out strongly. I ask for a debate on this issue.