Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response.Democracy cannot by its nature be seditious. The Minister of State called for calm and moderation and for respect for others. I support that call but if we are going to respect other people then surely we need to call out that it is wrong to imprison people for arranging a debate in a Parliament or for expressing their will peacefully within the state in which they live. If we cannot call out what is happening in Spain in terms of the open repression of the Catalan people then where are we in terms of the values we seek to preach and believe in? I call on the Minister of State to at least acknowledge the need for dialogue to resolve this situation. Surely he can agree with me on the need for dialogue between the Spanish state and the Catalan Parliament to resolve this situation.