Peaceful Catalans bullied by Madrid

Many people were shocked to see the brutality of the Madrid police, pulling people by their hair out of a polling station in an effort to stop them voting for independence.

Spanish people see nothing wrong in the brutality of the bullfight, when the bull is tormented for a long time and then wounded in the neck and shoulder such that it cannot fight any more, so we have an unfair fight. In this country we stopped bear-baiting 200 years ago.

Catalan people have turned their backs on bullfighting. They are a civilised people with their own language, and wish to govern themselves and achieve this by non-violent means. It is Madrid that resorts to violence. In Madrid the police supporters were shaking their clenched fists in a threatening way. But in Barcelona the Catalans were waving their open hands in a friendly way.

The Catalan leaders have been arrested and face charges which may detain them in prison for 30 years for peacefully advocating Catalan independence.

European countries have been painfully silent about the injustice suffered by Catalan people, especially when we remember that these European countries (including Spain) signed a treaty giving humanitarian rights to all their citizens and the right of small nations to democratic elections to decide how they should be governed. Our Government has failed to criticise Spain. It is therefore necessary for individuals who are concerned about the injustice in Catalonia to take action by not buying anything from Spain.

In Geneva (October 25, 2017) the UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, issued the following statement: “I deplore the decision of the Spanish government to suspend Catalan autonomy. This action constitutes retrogression in human rights protection, incompatible with Articles 1, 19, 25 and 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Pursuant to Articles 10 (2) and 96 of the Spanish constitution, international treaties constitute the law of the land and, therefore, Spanish law must be interpreted in conformity with international treaties.”

Geraint Jones

Llanfyllin, Powys