An article by Vicenç Villatoro, "The Cornerstone", in English (22 OCT 2020)

Here is English translation (by MS) of an article by Vicenç Villatoro, with his permission, on the implications - for the Catalan political prisoners' conviction - of the acquittal of Chief Superintendent Trapero.

Click to read the whole post, if need be. 

Original article: 

https://m.ara.cat/opinio/vicenc-villatoro-pedra-angular_0_2549145239.html

October 22nd

The cornerstone

Vicenç Villatoro

In the narrative - that's what they call it nowadays - constructed by the State (police, judges, prosecutors, government) to react to the events of 1 0ctober 2017 and to punish it, Trapero was the cornerstone. The one that holds up the whole building. At that time, the State wanted to immediately toss the pro-independence activists in prison. So they had to be charged with a crime that would allow their immediate pretrial detention. The crime that allowed this was that of rebellion, but rebellion calls for actual or potential violence. So it had to be said that the action of the Catalan government was potentially violent because it had an armed wing, the Mossos [the Catalan police]. And so, to round off the narrative, it was essential that whoever led the Mossos - Trapero - had to belong to the leadership of the rebellion. But if you remove the cornerstone, the whole building caves in. If Trapero is innocent, the Mossos were not the armed wing of the project. And if the project had no armed wing, there could be no rebellion or sedition. And if there was no sedition or rebellion, the political prisoners should not have been remanded in custody and should now be out stock-free. Without the cornerstone. It is all a house of cards that cannot be held up. With Trapero acquitted, the narrative falls apart. And its consequences ought to wobble as well.

...ooo000ooo...

22 d'octubre
La pedra angular
Vicenç Villatoro
En el relat -ara en diuen aixf- que va construir l'Estat (policia, jutges. fiscals, govern) per respondre a l'1-0 I castigar-lo, Trapero era la pedra angular. La que aguanta tot l'edifici. En aquell moment, I'Estat volia posar immediatament els independentistes a la presó. Per tant, calia acusar-los d'un delicte que permetés la presó preventiva immediata. El delicte que ho permetia era el de rebel·lió, però la rebel·lió demana violència efectiva o potencial. Doncs calia dir que l'actuació del govern català era potencialment violenta perquè tenia un braç armat, els Mossos. I, per tant, per quadrar el relat, era imprescindible que qui dirigia els Mossos -Trapero- formés part de la direcció de la rebel·lió. Però si li treus la pedra angular, tot l'edifici se'n va a terra. Si Trapero és innocent, els Mossos no eren el braç armat del projecte. I si el projecte no tenia braç armat, no hi podia haver rebel·lió ni sedició. I si no hi va haver sedició ni rebel·lió, els presos polítics no haurien hagut de ser empresonats preventivament i ara haurien de ser al carrer. Sense la pedra angular. Tot és un castell de cartes que no aguanta per enlloc. Amb Trapero absolt, el relat no s'aguanta. I haurien de trontollar també les seves conseqüències.