Catalonia’s EU representative denounces Spain’s repression at Flemish parliament

The representative of the Government of Catalonia to the EU delegate to the European Union, Gorka Knörr, denounced on Tuesday in a speech at the Flemish parliament the Spanish repression related to democratic freedoms, such as expression and opinion. In the Flemish parliament’s Committee of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, International Cooperation and Tourism, Knörr said that the persecution by Spain’s Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court against the Catalan parliament is a perfect example of it. On several occasions, there have been attempts to limit our legislative capacity, which has resulted in a paralysis of the legislature” he said.

The government delegate considers these attacks as being “radically anti-democratic” and he explained that the Parliament of Catalonia was the most attacked institution in recent years by the state judiciary. “For those who firmly believe in democracy, there is no entity that more genuinely represents those elected by the citizens”, he said. “It has happened that parliamentary leaders who have called for sessions to debate issues related to self-determination, amnesty and freedom of expression have been charged and brought before Spanish courts,” he added.

In addition, Knörr explained to the Flemish deputies the removal of the seats of President Quim Torra and MP Pau Juvillà and lamented that Catalan parliamentarians and “political representatives who have had to seek political refuge” in Belgium do not have complete freedom of expression. Regarding exiled President Carles Puigdemont and his former ministers in Belgium, Knörr stressed that they continue to be persecuted in Spain, while they are MEPs and have immunity in all member states.

Knörr spoke in the Flemish Chamber after Catalan Parliament Speaker Laura Borràs sent a letter to her Flemish counterpart, Liesbeth Homans, denouncing the Constitutional Court’s rulings overturning the agreements of the parliament in favour of self-determination, as well as the withdrawal of seats of Torra and Juvillà. “I have no choice but to let you know before the violations in our parliament are irreversible” wrote Borràs to Homans, from the N-VA’s Flemish Nationalist Party.