Catalan president won’t pay Spanish electoral authority fines

Quim Torra has announced that he won’t pay the €8,500 fine imposed on him by the Spanish Electoral Authority. The Catalan president was given three separate fines for not withdrawing the yellow bows of official buildings during the electoral period, for his speech made on Saint George’s Day (Diada de Sant Jordi) and for his letter addressed to officials on the same date.

The head of the Catalan government made the announcement on Monday, referring to the Electoral Authority as a “censoring and repressive” organization, and said that the decision was made in defense of “freedom of expression.”

“Whenever freedom of expression is punished, we will exercise it again,” he added. Sources close to the president have specified that the government will appeal the three fines.