Spain forbids the exercise of democracy by the Catalans and allows the renaissance of fascist violent groups

Monday, 14 September 2009
Spain forbids the exercise of democracy by the Catalans and allows the renaissance of fascist violent groups

CATALONIA THE NEXT STATE IN EUROPE

Initially, the Local Council of Arenys de Munt (Catalonia) had decided to celebrate the first plebiscite for the Independence of Catalonia on September 13th. In that session, the political representatives of this city, democratically elected by its citizens, considered that it was an elementary exercise of democracy. This initiative has begun to spread and, at this moment, more than 50 other Local Authorities in Catalonia are interested in celebrating similar plebiscites.

Once the call for this plebiscite was published, all Spanish alarms sprung out and important politicians -from PSOE and PP, including Spanish vice-president, Mrs Maria Fernandez de la Vega, argued that this plebiscite was not to be celebrated because Spanish law does not allow to do so.

At the same time, Falange Espanola, violent group supporting Fascism that, must be remembered, was the only political party allowed during the Francoist dictatorship (1939-75), pretended to demonstrate on the very same September 13th in Arenys de Munt, coinciding with the plebiscite. At first, the Catalan Home Council rejected the application but Falange Espanola appealed to the Spanish justice.

Equally, the Spanish government, by hand of the State Lawyer, started legal proceedings against the call for this plebiscite. Not long after, it was known that the lawyer for the State, Mr Jorge Buxade Villalba, had been candidate for Falange Espanola in the period 1995-96.

These two proceedings had resulted in the cancellation of the agreement by the Council of Arenys de Munt by the Judge Emilia Gimenez Yuste, thus impeding the consult. On the same September 9th, Judge Pilar Rovira del Canto authorized the protest by Falange Espanola, revoking the decision by the Home Councillor of Catalonia.

"Spanish democracy", on one hand, forbids the democratic right of plebiscites and on the other authorizes the demonstration of fascist and violent groups that bear sad memories for the Catalans. Catalans only know too well what dictatorship and fascism mean. The World judged Nazi Germany's crimes. Germany has asked for forgiveness a thousand times, Germans feel ashamed of this stage of their History and Nazi groups are illegal. But the World has not judged Francoist regime, nor has any Spanish government ever apologised. Spain is full of politicians and public officers that belonged to that regime and do not feel guilt from having belonged to it. Furthermore, political parties like Falange are legal in Spain.

For these reasons, we call all Western institutional and non-government institutions, dedicated to analyze the quality of democracy worldwide, to have acknowledged the democratic involution that is happening in Spain and the consequences at European and International level that from it will derivate.

Catalans are a profoundly democratic people, as our own History reflects continuously and we consider that no Spanish law may be above democracy, people expressing their will by voting in peace. Catalans want independence and work with our utmost determination to recover it, always by democratic ways. And nobody will ever stop us from being the next State in Europe.

But despite all Spanish prohibitions and threats detailed above, the citizens from Arenys de Munt were able to vote on September 13th, being the turnout superior to previous "official" elections -European Constitution referendum and European elections, with 41% of inhabitants of Arenys de Munt older than 16 inscribed in the Town Council, participating in this election. The percentage of favourable votes for Independence was 96% (2569 votes against 102). The number of favourable votes for Independence in this town is superior to the number of votes in favour of the increase of the autonomy in the elections celebrated in 2006 (2424 votes in that occasion).

Albert Ubach (Figueres, Catalonia)