The EU – Catalonia Dialogue Platform at the European Parliament met in Brussels

The platform is a cross party forum for MEPs who support dialogue between Spain and Catalonia to resolve the question of Catalan self-determination. During the meeting, which took place this week, Spanish authorities were accused of ‘criminalising dissent’ after it emerged that supporters of Catalan self-determination are facing legal action and other measures simply for supporting a peaceful referendum.

EFA MEPs Diana Riba, François Alfonsi and Tatjana Ždanoka supports the initiative.

Representatives of the Catalan organisation ‘Universities for Civil Rights’ presented their joint manifesto, which rejects the harsh and disproportionate sentences given to Catalan political prisoners who supported a peaceful and democratic path towards Catalan self-determination.

EFA MEP Diana Riba commented:

“We are increasingly witnessing the criminalisation of dissent in Spain. Not content with making political prisoners out of Catalan politicians who advocated a peaceful and democratic self-determination process, Spanish authorities are now persecuting the academic community and civil society out of pure spite and vengeance.”

“Spain’s continuing slide backwards to authoritarianism should be a matter of grave concern for the whole European Union, because if we allow it to happen in Spain, then it is only a matter of time before other authoritarian leaders will take advantage of the EU’s indifference.”

Read the full press release
Visit the EU – Catalonia Dialogue Platform website