Catalan Diary, Monday 6 November 2017

Catalan Diary

Monday 6 November 2017 – from anti-fascists in Barcelona

The government of the Catalan Republic, prisoner in Spain, President Puigdemont, a refugee in Belgium

Nine members of the Catalan government were jailed last week by order of Judge Lamela, accused of sedition and rebellion.

During their transfer to the prisons in police vehicles, the detainees reported ill-treatment and humiliation, the Civil Guard agents handcuffing them while driving recklessly and playing the Spanish national anthem at high volume.

Some of the arrested Catalan leaders were naked on arriving at prison.

Also a video by the newspaper La Vanguardia shows how three agents of the National Police in the National Court (the special court that judged the Catalan politicians) mocked the detainees, especially the leader of Esquerra Repúblicana de Catalunya (ERC), Oriol Junqueras.

The agents joked by calling him “bear” and making homophobic comments as well as simulating a sexual assault. According to the police, an investigation has been opened against these agents.

On the other hand, the Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, appeared yesterday before the Belgian authorities after the order of extradition demanded by Spain. The Belgian judge released him, thus not responding to the Spanish request but, meanwhile, former Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo accused the Spanish government of being “authoritarian Francoist” for its behaviour in the face of the Catalan crisis

The Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and the man in charge of the country’s Interior Ministry, Jan Jambon, said on Sunday in an interview on the VTM channel that the Spanish Government had “gone too far” in reference to the application of Article 155 and the subsequent dismissal and imprisonment of more than half of the Catalan government.

Jambon also called for a “fair trial” for former president Carles Puigdemont and the four former advisors who accompanied him to Brussels and said that “the international community should ensure that Catalan leaders prosecuted by the Spanish justice authorities have a fair trial”.

More fascist violence

On Saturday, a couple was attacked in Mataró (Barcelona) after a Spanish nationalist demonstration against the Catalan Republic. The louts forced the couple to shout “Viva España” and, after refusing, they were beaten. Both were taken to hospital.

Demonstrations of support

45,000 people demonstrated in Bilbao (Euskadi) on Saturday in solidarity with the Catalan Republic. Also, in Madrid, hundreds of people demonstrated yesterday at the Puerta del Sol to condemn the imprisonment of the Catalan government.

 Breaking news…

The newspaper Público has revealed that Julian Leal Luna – Secretary of Dissemination and Press of the Professional Collective of Municipal Police of Madrid (CPPM), – was among the mob that insulted and verbally abused the Catalan MPs Josep Nuet and AnnaSimó on 1 November 1 on their arrival at Madrid’s Atocha station.

Leal demonstrated together with members of the nazi Hogar Social Madrid group, hiding behind a Spanish flag and shouting vile insults and slogans against the Catalan Republic.