‘Don’t let violence spoil the situation' lawyers of imprisoned leaders urge citizens

As the political crisis takes a turn for the worse, with two pro-independence grassroots leaders facing up to 15 years in prison for crimes of sedition, their lawyers have urged citizens to remain peaceful and avoid violence.

“I ask for all Catalan citizens to have patience. The path remains the same, there is no need to change anything because both Jordis are in prison,” said Jordi Pina, one of the lawyers for Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, presidents of the Catalan National Assembly and Òmnium Cultural respectively. “Everyone must maintain their calm, without letting violence spoil the situation.”

He went on to say that the “call for peaceful action” cannot change, as people prepare for what could be a massive demonstration in Barcelona on Tuesday evening, and the left-wing CUP has proposed an indefinite general strike until the pair are released.

“They have asked citizens to act with serenity, calm and pacifism. They want everyone to be able to protest peacefully and reject any kind of violence. They ask everyone to take it all with composure,” said lawyer Marina Roig speaking on behalf of Cuixart.