Unionist leader calls on political parties to condemn ‘violence’

The leader of Catalonia’s main unionist party has called on other political parties to make “an effort to try and condemn the violence,” as she sees it, by pro-independence protest groups. The head of the Ciutadans (Cs) party, Inés Arrimadas, said she was very concerned that political parties had “refused to condemn the violence” that she attributes to the Committees for the Defense of the Republic (CDR). Tuesday’s arrest of a CDR activist on charges of terrorism has mostly been criticized by Catalonia’s political parties as inappropriate.

Yet, Arrimadas, who was visiting the European Parliament in Brussels, insisted that the situation in Catalonia is “serious” and she cited “attacks on headquarters, death threats, marking out of private dwellings,” as some of the aggressive tactics used against parties and officials opposed to independence. The solution for the Cs leader is to adopt the European values of “respect for the law” and “coexistence within diversity.” “An effort must be made so that everyone understands that what is happening today in Catalonia is a danger for the whole of Europe,” she said.

This comes the day after a pro-independence activist was arrested, accused of rebellion and terrorism. The woman, of the Committees of the Defence of the Republic (CDR) had been involved in various protests which involved the cutting off of motorways and opening toll booths, in order to demonstrate against Spanish measures against the Catalan independence movement. Other acts carried out by pro-independence activists include organizing chocolate parties in the middle of roads, protesting with pots and pans, and sitting on train railways. 

Barcelona’s mayor called the arrest of the protester on terrorism charges “outrageous” and has warned about “trivializing” such a serious issue. “It is a fact that there is no violence in Catalonia, the only terrorism we have seen is what took place on the Rambles in August,” mayor Ada Colau said in a radio interview on Wednesday morning.

While the woman accused of being a “coordinator” of CDR protests is being held in the Madrid region awaiting her court appearance, Spanish police are looking for a man from Esplugues de Llobregat. The National high court is investigating both CDR members for “leading and coordinating acts of sabotage” following the arrest of deposed president Carles Puigdemont in Germany. CDR protests cut off major highways and opened up toll booths.

On Tuesday pro-independence parties at the Catalan parliament also spoke out against the arrest, while the news was greeted and praised by the leader of the People's Party in Catalonia, Xavier García Albiol, who said it was "gratifying."

On hearing upon the arrest, Arrimadas said that the CDR activists “of course use violence.” She described the operation as “normal” and claimed that the protests are “unacceptable in a democracy.” 

For their part, the Catalan Socialists rejected the charge of terrorism. Miquel Iceta said the protests organized by the CDR could not be linked to terrorism. “We have seen roads cut off, protests on motorways, graffiti, the odd act of local vandalism, but not terrorism,” he said in a radio interview. Although the PSC opposes the independence of Catalonia, Iceta compared the acts of the pro-independence protesters to dubious incidents that can occur during a strike, “but they are not terrorism,” he said.