ICY winds blew along Edinburgh’s Chambers Street as a small, but colourful and noisy bunch of Catalan independence supporters unfurled their esteladas and pinned their banners to the metal barriers which had been placed in front of them.
The signs read “Democracy is not a crime” and “Stand up for Clara”. They chanted their support for Clara Ponsati as she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to answer the European Arrest Warrant against her. Car drivers tooted their horns in a show of backing and, as proceedings carried on inside, a solo guitarist sang Catalan songs, which evoked visions of the sun-baked streets of Barcelona and the Balearic breezes that caress the beaches of Lloret de Mar.
That vision was shattered as Edinburgh hardies sauntered through the crowd, muttering as they made their way to a prior engagement inside the building.
But the organisers were happy with the level of backing for the economics professor.
READ MORE: Roger Torrent: Catalonia will not give up on independence
“The crowd would have been bigger if it weren’t for the elections today,” said Oriol Roig, the coordinator for the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) in Scotland, who organised yesterday’s show of support for Ponsati.
“A lot of people are working today and couldn’t get time off to come here, but we can make up for that by making a lot of noise to show Clara that we are all totally behind her.
“It’s also great to see such a good turnout of the media,” he added, indicating the sizeable troop of journalists, photographers, radio and TV crews.
Among them was a crew from Catalonia’s state broadcaster TV3, drafted in from Germany to cover the court appearance.
“I’m usually based in Berlin,” said journalist Oriol Serra, wrapped up in a thick scarf and hat against the bitterly cold wind, “but our person in London is tied up covering the UK election so they asked me to come to Edinburgh. We arrived last night and I phoned Clara’s lawyer to find out what was happening today, so here we are.”
READ MORE: MSP condemns jail sentences for Catalan independence leaders
Cheers from the crowd intensified when Ponsati emerged from the court with her lawyer Aamer Anwar and colleague Elisenda Paluzie, and came over to talk with them.
Rapid-fire Catalan dialogue and laughter filled the air as greetings were exchanged and details of Ponsati’s next appearance circulated.
There was much talk of whether or not Sanchez and Rajoy, and other former ministers, would accede to the request to appear in the Edinburgh court, but the first thoughts of most were that it was unlikely.
“They’ll back out of it,” said one of Ponsati’s supporters. “And if they do where will that leave everything?” A good question – and not one which many could really hope to find a plausible answer to.
Paluzie, who joined Ponsati amongst her supporters, is no stranger to Scotland.
She is involved in a masters programme at the University of Glasgow, and knew her since before her time in the Catalan government.
“Before being the Catalan education minister, she was a member of the board of the ANC, so she’s been linked to our grassroots organisation for a couple of years,” she said. “It’s a personal thing – she’s a professor of economics and I’m a professor of economics. I knew her before politics, but also from the Catalan cause as a whole.”
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