I was shocked and disturbed today to discover that I had been misquoted in a Spanish newspaper that claimed I believe Martin Luther King, Jr. would have opposed the Catalan independence movement. This distorts what I actually said in response to a Spanish reporter’s questions about whether proponents of Catalan independence were justified in using King’s name to support their struggle. In order to correct misunderstandings, I wish to clarify six points: First, I don’t speak for King or wish to guess his views about current issues that he never addressed during his lifetime. Second, I’m pleased when any movement chooses to use the kind of nonviolent tactics and strategies that King advocated. King did not own or invent the idea of nonviolent resistance to injustice, and it is admirable whenever a movement adopts the nonviolent principles perfected by King and other previous leaders and movements. Third, I am personally disturbed whenever nonviolent protesters and leaders are violently suppressed or punished by police and government officials. Fourth, when the reporter and I discussed the possibility that the secession of the prosperous Catalonia region might damage the rest of Spain, I conceded that this might be the case. Fifth, when the reporter and I discussed whether it was right to compare the oppression of Catalans to that of black Americans, I expressed skepticism that the two situations were directly comparable. Sixth, and finally, although I’ve visited the Barcelona on several occasions and have followed press reports about the independence movement, this is not my area of expertise. I have never talked to any Catalan leaders (although I would welcome a chance to do so). I’ve devoted the past three decades to studying what King actually said during his lifetime rather than speculating about what he might have said if his life had not been cut short by assassination.

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