THE Speaker of the Catalan Parliament has expressed his support for the “Scottish way” to achieve independence in a bid to take the heat off President Quim Torra, who faced criticism over remarks about following the Slovenian model to becoming an independent republic.
Roger Torrent, a member of the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), spoke to journalists at Lledoners prison after visiting the political prisoners who are taking part in a hunger strike.
READ MORE: Catalan President Quim Torra fasts in support of hunger striking prisoners
Opposition parties had criticised Torra after he praised Slovenians for their declaration of independence in 1991, which sparked a 10-day war between Slovenia and what was then Yugoslavia.
“Slovenians were clear about it, they decided to insist on their self-determination, and move forward with all the consequences, until achieving their aims, let’s do the same as them,” said Torra in Brussels. “We are ready for what it takes to live free.”
Opposition Citizens Party leader, Inés Arrimadas, described Torra and his government as “a danger to democracy and coexistence”, and accused him of advocating “violence and a civil conflict”.
READ MORE: Catalan ex-minister Turull signs living will amid hunger strike
She urged the Spanish government to take the first steps towards suspending Catalonia’s self-rule.
Josep Borrell, Spain’s Socialist foreign minister, who is Catalan, said yesterday the reference to Slovenia was “a way to express what seems to be a call for an uprising”.
However, Torrent avoided directly commenting on Torra’s words, saying simply: “We have always defended and we will continue to defend the Scottish road, which is the correct one and what we think will win us, because it connects with 80% of the population of that country and provides a democratic solution to the conflict.
“We collect the best of the other processes that have been and reject those processes that have had violence.”
ERC spokesperson, Marta Vilalta, also avoided any comment on Slovenia. She said: “We cannot compare ourselves with other countries, they are different contexts.”
Torrent yesterday met Jordi Turull and Jordi Sanchez, who have not taken food for 10 days, and Quim Forn and Josep Rull, who have been on hunger strike for a week. He said that despite their action, they remained “strong and firm”.
Meanwhile, academics from around the world have signed open letters in support of their Catalan colleagues who acted as expert observers in the October 2017 referendum and who are under threat of imprisonment.
READ MORE: Spanish court to hear Catalan political prisoners' appeals
The Catalan Parliament appointed four such experts as members of the electoral commission to monitor the poll, but they later resigned after being threatened with fines of €12,000 (£10,850) per person for every day they remained in position.
However, they still face prosecution and could face more than two years in prison.
One of the petition organisers, Monica Clua-Losada, from the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, told The National they had gathered support from around the world.
“In this case it’s a bit personal because two of them are political scientists,” she said. “The support has been overwhelming with more than 400 international signatures, over 700 Catalan and Spanish-based universities, including the Basques.
“What has been very interesting is the major political science associations in the world, including the British, Canadian, Quebecois and American, have all said they should be released.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel