Terrorism link over Puigdemont's Tsunami Democràtic role angers parties and rights' groups

A week is a long time in politics, they say. 

That has certainly been the case this week for former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. 

Just seven days after welcoming senior officials from Spain's Socialist party to Brussels for negotiations over the reelection of Pedro Sánchez as prime minister, Puigdemont was investigated for terrorism. 

And the two occations might be related. As talks intensify between Puigdemont's party Junts and the Socialists, so too do the declarations from Spanish courts, eager to preempt a possible amnesty for pro-independence figures, which Sánchez has promised as part of his bid for prime ministerial bid.

Puigdemont and Rovira 

On Monday, Spain's National Court announced it was including Puigdemont in its investigations into Tsunami Democràtic, a protest group that hit the headlines in the wake of the Spanish Supreme Court's sentencing of Catalan independence leaders in 2019. 

A few days earlier, it was confirmed that a Spanish Guardia Civil police report cited Marta Rovira as the coordinator of the anonymous group. 

Rovira, General Secretary of pro-independence party Esquerra Republicana (ERC), has, like Puigdemont, been living in exile since the peak of the independence crisis in 2017; Rovira in Switzerland and Puigdemont in Belgium. 

The court – after analyzing a mobile phone belonging to Josep Lluís Alay, one of Puigdemont's chief advisors – argues that the former president participated in meetings in Geneva in August 2019, where Tsunami Democràtic protests may have been planned. 

Terrorism, or the right to protest 

There has been strong reaction to the court linking the two officials and ten other individuals to terrorism. 

Operating through instant messaging application Telegram, Tsunami Democràtic organized protests such as the blockade of the AP-7 highway near France and the attempt to shut down Barcelona Airport. 

On Tuesday, various political parties and human rights groups gathered in Barcelona to argue that these actions were within their right to legitimate protest. They want to refute the links the Spanish court aims to make with terrorism. 

Groups such as Òmnium, the Catalan Association for the Defense of Human Rights, Irídia and FUNDIPAU were joined by political parties ERC, Junts, CUP and Catalunya En Comú outside the Catalan High Court in Barcelona with the slogan: 'Protesting is not terrorism.'

Òmnium president Xavier Antich said that Judge García-Castellón had "rushed" to present his case "with the intention of sabotaging and twisting the amnesty." 

One grassroots group that was notably absent was the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), who said they would have liked to attend but organizers Òmnium did not extend an invitation. 

Jaume Asens of En Comú Podem accused the judiciary of "judicializing politics" and "destabilizing negotiations" for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez. 

Asens, whose party (as part of the Sumar group) has already agreed to enter into a left-wing coalition with the Socialists, said the court's actions in recent days were following a "script" written by the conservative People's Party and far-right Vox. 

Madrid  

In Madrid, Spanish government spokesperson Isabel Rodríguez questioned the timing of the judge's 34-page statement, while avoiding direct criticism of his actions. 

The Prosecutor's Office announced it will appeal the National Court resolution as it does not see evidence of terrorism. 

The PP, however, accused the Socialists of "bringing us closer to another type of regime where anything is worth doing to stay in power." 

Talks continue 

The ERC-Socialist agreement has already been signed, including the future amnesty law, the transfer of Rodalies commuter rail control and the forgiveness of €15 billion of debt, among other measures. 

But for Sánchez, the numbers in Congress couldn't be tighter. He needs the votes of the seven Junts MPs as well the seven ERC MPs, in addition to his party, Sumar and other smaller parties.  

And so, negotiations between Junts and the Socialists continue. It's an unlikely alliance, but there are gains to be made for both sides.