Witnesses defend ‘plurality’ of Diplocat in Catalan trial

Witnesses have defended in court the “plurality" of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat), come under scrutiny for allegedly using public funds to internationalize the independence bid.

Two scholars, a politician, and a union leader were summoned to give their testimony on day 36 of the Catalan trial, with 12 politicians and activists sitting in the dock for calling a referendum and declaring independence in 2017, despite Spain’s opposition.

The four witnesses were members of organizations overseeing the work of Diplocat, a public-private partnership promoting Catalonia abroad, which unionist parties see as a tool serving the interests of the independence movement.

While presenting himself as a “political rival" of the defendants, Gerardo Pisarello, the deputy mayor of Barcelona, stressed that Diplocat always stayed “plural" when tackling political issues, inviting both experts for and against Catalan self-determination to its conferences.