Amy Holden reply to Brian Johnson, Managing Editor, The Parliament Magazine:
Brian Johnson Managing Editor The Parliament Magazine
16-11-2018
Dear Mr. Johnson,
I would like to comment your article ‘MEPs blast harsh sentences for Catalan political prisoners’ by Martin Banks published 13 Nov in The Parliament Magazine.
Personally I feel that the article you have published is not an opinion but is simply blatant political propaganda, totally lacking in objectivity by omitting key facts which make it misleading and puts in question the credibility of your organization all together.
Are you simply unaware of the facts or are you completely aware and publishing paid advertorials for the Catalan secessionists?
Firstly, the headline itself insinuates that there are harsh sentences of which there are none yet.
Secondly, the article starts off mentioning that there are MEPs from various political groups in arms but neglects to mention that they include members from Italy’s 5 star, Belgium’s N-VA, Ireland’s Identity Ireland, Scotland’s SNP, Spain’s ERC and PNV amongst other nationalist parties, which is surely relevant to the stance that they take.
Thirdly, it goes on to quote about Catalonia’s right to self determination but does not mention at any point that there is no law or entity that has recognized Catalonia’s ability to self determination as a right since it applies only to colonies and Catalonia is not a Colony.
Fourthly, it insinuates that there was a referendum in Catalonia, Spain where 90% voted for Catalan independence, without mentioning that the referendum was declared illegal as it was made by and for secessionists, with no pact and was held with no basic guarantees. Furthermore the article omits that 2 and a half million people, which is more than half of the Catalan electorate, boycotted the vote following the instructions of the pro-constitutionalist parties advice, due to it being declared illegal by the Spanish court and it had no guarantees.
Fifthly, The article also quotes "Catalan leaders have been accused of crimes they have not committed based on violence that has not existed" In fact, many citizens of Catalonia were able to witness first-hand how the secessionist government used the state to undermine the state, otherwise known as sedition. It has been accredited by the civil guard investigation that public funds and public property were used to undertake the illegal referendum. In fact, the electoral census was stolen data and on the day journalists were able to vote multiple times. International observers were brought to validate the guarantees yet were unable to attest so.
Sixthly, the article goes on to state “According to the court papers, the defendants were “aware” that violence could have erupted during the attempt to bring about the independence of Catalonia, and they are accused of a “general uprising, leading to acts of force, aggression and violence.”
The truth is, we saw on live TV scenes that unraveled when leaders of the ANC and Omnium called to 16 hour long siege on a group of public servants which were on a raid in buildings ofthe diputation of Barcelona, where participants impeded the public servants from leaving and even violently broke down a door and destroyed public property. The public servants had to leave the building by the roof.
Seventhly, then the article quotes “Not only are these accusations false and made up to fit into a narrative that justifies the charge of rebellion, but they have also been refuted by the Belgian and German courts, when they refused to extradite the former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont (twice) and the ministers in exile on the grounds of rebellion”
Yet it is because they do not have equivalent crimes in their penal code and then Spain revoked the warrant for his arrest.
Eighthly, it also states “The decision to pursue the most serious charges laid against the accused has destroyed any hope that the socialist government might lead to any meaningful negotiation on the Catalan issue. The lack of political response by the Spanish authorities is provoking dramatic consequences and we will do what it is in our hands to denounce it. There has been no crime; this construction has nothing to do with reality.” I must state the obvious, Spain is a modern democratic state with a constitution that states it is indivisible as a country and it follows the rule of law. Laws were broken and now the politicians’ that broke them are going through the process of justice. There is nothing any Spanish government can do to change the acts that the Catalan government undertook.
And finally, your article ends with the following quotes “The already shrinking position of the EU as guarantor of fundamental rights would be irreversibly affected; and its silence has also contributed to make European citizens feel that the European Institutions are far away and do not really protect them as they are supposed to.”
“For all these reasons, we want to make a call to the European institutions to urgently reconsider what protecting, promoting and guaranteeing civil and political rights mean to them,” the statement added.
It seems an intentional bid to mislead the reader that civil rights are being oppressed in Spain. It is not clear which civil or fundamental right, if any, is being oppressed in Catalonia, a modern, democratic region of Spain. From my personal experience living here 16 years, I cannot say I have ever heard of a civil right being oppressed.
And furthermore the European Union leaders have given unequivocal support to Spain in this matter with Commission leader Junckers position on this matter “There is no possible mediation between democratic law and disobedience or illegality,” and then in a later interview declared “As president of the Commission, I support the position of the Spanish government. And do you know why? Because I am in favor of who respects the law,” Juncker told the Spanish daily El País in an interview. “The EU is based on the rule of law, and what my Catalan friends have done is the opposite: violating the law.”
Personally I would like to share with you my thoughts. When we spoke I noted your Scottish accent and I can see how Scottish people may feel very akin to the Catalan secession movement for obvious reasons. However it is not the same. Not only is Catalonia not a country nor has it ever been compared to Scotland, a country in it’s own right that united with the rest of the UK and could leave if it wanted to. Scotland also voted to stay open, to stay with Europe in it ́s own referendum.
Catalonia’s secession push is to break away, to put up walls, to become monolingual (Can you imagine if it were not possible to get a public school education in English in Scotland? This is what the Catalan nationalists do) and at the heart is based on hate of Spain and Spanish. It is just not comparable to the open Pro-European movement in Scotland.President Torra is openly racist with published works with strong supremacist and racist narratives that anybody can access online. He has instigated and congratulated violence via the CDRs, which are bullying, harassing, attacking people who are not secession supporters. They shout out terrorist chants at their mob protests, they spit on reporters, throw stones, potatoes, rocks and blow up powders at their perceived adversaries and the police. They shame and insult non secessionists via the press and via their protests and on social media via their influencers, calling them fascists whilst in a bizarre twist of reality, having a completely fascist and intolerant attitude themselves.
You are collaborating with this movement and soon, as they will not get what they want, they will get more violent, perhaps returning to kill as they did 30 odd years ago, and then I am sure you will personally feel awful for having collaborated and promoted their lies. You are in time to rectify and to review closely all forthcoming publications that you do about their movement and I urge you to do so.
Kind regards, Amy Holden. Catalonia, Spain
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