Communiqué by Council for the Catalan Republic on "CDR" arrests (24 SEP 2019)

Communiqué by the Council for the Catalan Republic. Here is an English rendering.
Click here if need be to read the whole post

Original: https://consellrepublica.cat/comunicat-sobre-la-detencio-dactivistes-independentistes/

September 24, 2019

Communiqué on the arrest of pro-independence activists

The Council condemns this Monday's arrests, accuses the Spanish State of creating a narrative of non-existent violence, and proposes the democratic overcoming of this repressive state.

In the face of yesterday's court, police and media operation in Catalonia against pro-independence activists that ended with the arrest of nine people accused of terrorism, rebellion and sedition by the prosecutor's office of the National Court, the Council for the  Republic makes the following considerations:

• 1. The imminence of the commemoration of the second anniversary of the October 1 Referendum on Independence, and of the issuing of the sentence of the show trial of the Catalan political prisoners, has led to a new wave of repression against the liberties of the citizens of our country.  Once again, we note that civil rights are suspended in Catalonia and citizens face without guarantees the brutality and arbitrariness of the powers of the State .
• 2. We strongly reject this court and police show against innocent people, and express our utmost solidarity with the detainees and their families and friends.
• 3. This operation obviously aims to intimidate the citizens of Catalonia when it comes to mobilizing to denounce and protest against what will probably be an ignominious sentence, and on the other hand, to build a narrative of violence  linked to the national liberation movement of Catalonia, which is a radically peaceful and democratic political movement.
• 4. We cannot forget the pre-election scenario in Spain in assessing this operation. The State intends to criminalize legitimate majority policy options in Catalonia before Spanish public opinion, in order to reap electoral rewards on November 10.
• 5. In our view, the only way to put an end to these arbitrary arrests and the various forms of repression that the Spanish State applies to Catalan society is the democratic overcoming of the Spanish State; that is why we reaffirm our approved roadmap, published by the Council on September 14, to make the October 1 mandate effective and to constitute the Catalan Republic.

September 24, 2019