THOUSANDS gathered in Barcelona last night after a judge jailed eight sacked members of the Catalan Cabinet, including Vice-President Oriol Junqueras and Foreign Affairs Minister Raul Romeva.
National Court investigative magistrate Carmen Lamela also issued an international arrest warrant for sacked Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and four other ministers who are with him in Belgium.
The entire cabinet face potential charges of sedition, rebellion and embezzlement in connection with the Catalan Parliament’s unilateral declaration of independence a week ago.
Lamela set bail of €50,000 (£44,000) for one ex-minister, Santiago Vila, who said earlier this week that he would be prepared to lead Puigdemont’s Catalan Democratic Party (PDeCat) into the December 21 election called by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, after he used unprecedented powers to take control of the state following the independence declaration.
A separate hearing in Spain’s Supreme Court for six Catalan politicians – including parliament speaker Carme Forcadell – was adjourned for a week.
Reaction to Lamela’s ruling was swift and damning.
Independence supporters in Barcelona chanted “we are not afraid”, and one said: “They just imprisoned the legitimate government of Catalonia. Today everyone in the street wants to claim their freedom.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Regardless of opinion on Catalonia, the jailing of elected leaders is wrong and should be condemned by all democrats. The disagreement about Catalonia’s future is political. It should be resolved democratically – not by the jailing of political opponents.”
Junqueras wrote: “Do everything that is within our reach every day for good to defeat evil in the polls on [December 21]. Standing, with determination and until victory.”
Forcadell tweeted: “The democratically elected government is sent to jail. Unfair. Indecent. We are with you and your families.”
The Spanish Government had previously indicated that Puigdemont and his cabinet members would be able to stand in the election, “if they were not in jail”.
But SNP MP Douglas Chapman, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Catalonia, said his concern was whether Rajoy would allow any supporters of independence to stand.
He told The National: “I’m becoming increasingly concerned for the individuals concerned and what impact that will have on the December 21 election, and whether they’ll be able to go ahead with any pro-independence candidates among the options.
“I’m sure there will be thousands of people who will want to take the places of those who’ve been jailed if they’re not allowed to stand, but it’s whether a pro-independence party or grouping will even be allowed to put forward candidates – what does that say about democracy in Spain, never mind the legal process?
“There are lots of questions, but one gets the feeling that Spain are again mismanaging the situation and being unnecessarily heavy-handed about the whole issue.”
Joaquim Gomez Ribas, a Catalan journalist in Edinburgh, said the jailing of the ministers was very disturbing, and added: “We will continue to fight for our ideas. We will not get tired of speaking up and showing the world the atrocities Spanish Government are doing.
“Let’s hope someone will help us to solve this democratically and we can free all those who are in prison for no reason.”
Former Catalan President Artur Mas – who was banned by a Barcelona court from holding public office for ignoring an order not to go ahead with a non-binding poll on independence in 2014 – doubted if those jailed would receive a fair trial: “If the question is if in Spain you can trust the judicial system, my answer is no. From the personal point of view and also for my personal experience, I don’t think that there are all the guarantees to have a fair trial.”
MEP Josep Maria Terricabras, from the pro-indy ERC, said Puigdemont should stay in Brussels, away from Spain’s “constitutional dictatorship”, adding that indy supporters should take part in the election: “If we win again, the face of Europe will change, and that’s very relevant.”
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