Spanish nationalist party UPyD files complaint against Catalan President for "disobedience"

Barcelona (ACN).- The Spanish nationalist and populist party UPyD is taking Catalonia's self-determination process to the European Parliament and the Supreme Court.After the recent measures adopted by Catalan authorities to organise a non-binding consultation vote on independence on the 9^th of November, UPyD – with no representation in Catalonia –filed on Wednesday a judicial complaint at the Supreme Court against the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, and most of the members of the Catalan Parliament's Bureau, including its President, Núria de Gispert. UPyD accuses all them of "disobedience" while Mas has also been accused of "an alleged prevarication offense", as well as of "usurpation of powers" and "embezzlement of public money". Moreover, the Spanish nationalist UPyD compared Catalonia's self-determination process with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, in a letter sent to all the 751 Members of the European Parliament also this Wednesday. The UPyD MEP Beatriz Becerra compared Catalonia's situation with that of Germany and Italy in the 1920s and 1930s. She was responding to a previous letter sent on the same day by 2 MEPs from the left-wing Catalan independence party ERC, asking the European Parliament to back the demand shared by a majority of Catalans to hold a self-determination vote. Despite all the opinion polls of the last 2 years showing that around 75% of Catalans want to hold such a vote, Becerra stated that only 23% of them are in fact backing the self-determination consultation vote. In addition, she argued that "Catalonia has never been a European nation" and she said it has "always been part of Spain", "never conquered by force". With this letter Becerra ignored several historical episodes of the last 400 years, the feelings of the majority of Catalans and the Spanish Constitution's Article 2, which states that Spain is formed of "nationalities and regions"; a formula that was to recognise Catalonia's nationhood despite the text having been negotiated with the members of Franco regime.

UPyD is taking its crusade against Catalonia's self-determination process to a higher level. On the same day it compared this peaceful and democratic process with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy at the European Parliament and it took the President of the Catalan Government and the Catalan Parliament's Bureau to the Spain's Supreme Court, accusing them of "disobedience" and other offenses.

Comparing nowadays Catalonia with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy

The UPyD MEP Beatriz Becerra has sent a letter to all the 751 Members of the European Parliament in which she compared nowadays Catalonia with "Italy and Germany from 1920s and 1930s". Becerra said she felt the need to send such a letter in response to the letter sent on the same day by 2 MEPs from the left-wing Catalan independence party ERC, Josep Maria Terricabras and Ernest Maragall. The two ERC MEPs were asking the European Parliament "not to turn its back" on the demand shared by a majority of Catalans. Terricabras and Maragall were asking all the MEPs to listen to "the millions of European citizens who only want to express their opinion in a non-binding referendum". The ERC was asking European representatives "to defend once again the values of the European Union", such as "freedom and democracy". "No defender of democracy can be reluctant to listen to the voice of our citizens", they argue.

The UPyD replied to ERC's letter, saying it was "not corresponding to reality". "Catalonia has never been a European nation" and it has "always been part of Spain", stated Becerra. In addition, "saying it [Catalonia] was conquered by force is the result of a nationalist delirium that distorts historical facts", added the Spanish nationalist MEP. Becerra said that "if a government does not respect the Constitution and the laws of its country, democracy disappears, as happened in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and 1930s". "Catalonia's nationalist regional government has called an illegal referendum", she argued, despite the Constitutional Court has not having declared such a call illegal yet and it having only issued a temporary suspension. Becerra carried on saying that the vote has been "banned by the Spanish Government and the Spanish Parliament" and that "now it has been suspended by the Constitutional Court", forgetting that it is a cautionary measure. The UPyD MEP emphasised that the consultation vote "takes away from Spaniards their right to decide on the whole of their country".

In addition, she stated that only 23% of Catalans want such a vote, while all the polls published in the last two years show that between 71% and 80% of Catalans want a self-determination vote. According to Becerra, those against self-determination and independence are "intimidated and pressured" in Catalonia, and they are "marginalised from institutions, schools and public media, all controlled by the [Catalan] nationalists".Becerra stressed that "defending democracy in Europe" is stopping Catalonia's "illegal referendum". 

Taking the Catalan President and Parliament to the Supreme Court

The Spanish nationalist party led by Rosa Díez filed on Thursday a judicial complaint against Artur Mas, President of the Catalan Government; Núria de Gispert, President of the Catalan Parliament; and, Anna Simó, LluísCorominas, Josep Rull and David Companyon, Members of the Catalan Parliament's Bureau. UPyD argues that the steps Catalan authorities have been carrying out towards the self-determination vote are illegal. The populist party is accusing all of them of "disobedience". Furthermore it is accusing Mas of having "allegedly committed a prevarication offense", as well as of "usurpation of powers", "embezzlement of public money" and "an electoral offense". Considering the office of the people accused, the complaint has been directly filed at the Supreme Court. UPyD wants the Court to impose bails on the two presidents – who are Catalonia's top representatives – including the seizure of their personal assets. Furthermore, the Spanish nationalist party is asking the Court to bring them to testify.