A group of MEPs on Catalonia: 'We reject the false narrative behind the accusations, it's a political trial'

The EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform in the European Parliament announced on Monday that it will be "following closely" the trial against 12 Catalan leaders in the Spanish Supreme Court.

In a press conference in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the group spokesman, Ivo Vajgl, said that they will travel to Madrid to "personally" see the proceedings.

"We reject the false narrative behind the accusations, and denounce that this is a political trial," Vajgl insisted. Italian MEP Eleonora Forenza, explained that they have requested to be "observers" and described the trial as an "European issue".

"We are seeing a political trial in 2019 Europe," she said.

Another member of the platform, French MEP José Bové, added that "the process is not fair, and should not be happening." "Dialogue is needed, and also a change of the Spanish Constitution," he said.

The daughter of one of the fathers of the European project, Barbara Spinelli, described as "outrageous" to have "political prisoners in the EU".

"If this was happening in South America or the Middle East, with elected representatives in a show trial for simply allowing citizens the opportunity to decide their future, the condemnation of EU leaders would be deafening," said Irish MEP Matt Carthy. According to him, the current "silence" of the European institutions "is shameful".

"The EU needs to help Madrid to come out of this stupid corner in which they painted themselves," said Estonian MP Indrek Tarand.

Portuguese MEP Antonio Marinho e Pinto strongly criticized the Spanish justice, saying it's "dominated by fascist ideology."