Public TV channel biased to 'separatism', says opposition leader

Inés Arrimadas is accusing Catalonia's public television channel TV3 of being biased toward the independence movement.

The leader of unionist Ciutadans said that it "is not a neutral public television service, it is devoted to separatism" on Facebook.

It was a post heavily laden with criticism against "separatists" in Catalonia.  She said that freedom of expression for pro-independence forces consists of "burning Spanish and European flags, removing them from city councils, paying homage to ETA members leaving jail, whistling through official hymns, booing the head of state at an anti-terrorism rally," and the list goes on.

She also brought up the topic of yellow ribbons, a sign of solidarity with pro-independence leaders in jail or abroad. They "fill public spaces with ideological symbols… scorn and reveal the addresses of non-seperatist judges, prosecutors, and politicians, accuse the Spanish press of being manipulative, burning tires and cutting of AVE train tracks."

Language on the box was also an issue. "A TV3 star calls the head of the opposition a slut, another one says that it would be good for [Spanish] Supreme Court judges to be hit by a truck," she said.

She also said that "criticizing TV3 is a very serious and intolerable act" in the eyes of pro-independence groups. "In a democracy, that cannot be overlooked."