French Greens officially support Catalonia’s right to be independent

The French Greens of  Europe Écologie Les Verts (EELV) have passed a motion in which they support Catalonia’s independence. The motion accepts the creation of an “independent and republican Catalonia within the European Union, if this is the will of the majority of Catalans.” The document is entitled “Amnesty, stopping the persecution and the right to self-determination in Catalonia” and was approved during the party’s 49th Federal Council last weekend.

The motion makes it clear that the conflict between Spain and Catalonia is political, so the solution must be political, far from judicialization. For this reason, the EELV calls for “the amnesty of Catalan political prisoners and exiles, in addition to the cessation of persecution against Catalan pro-independence activists.” The text also encourages the Spanish and Catalan governments to dialogue and negotiation with EU mediation: “Catalans are European citizens, so the EELV calls on the European authorities to mediate between the Spanish and Catalan authorities. It is not acceptable for the European Union to turn a blind eye and say that it is ‘an internal problem of Spain”.

The French Green Party advocates for a peaceful political solution that “necessarily requires dialogue and acceptance from the Spanish government of a referendum among the Catalan people about their political future.” The motion also calls on all party representatives to bring motions in support of Catalan self-determination to the town halls and assemblies where they are present.

Third most voted force

In the 2019 European elections, the EELV was the third most voted force, with 13.5%, and was a great success in the following municipal elections, where they won the mayors of Marseille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, Tours , Besançon, Poitiers and Annecy. The EELV is part of the European Green Party and is an ally of Iniciativa per Catalunya els Verds and Equo.

During the inaugural speech of the Federal Council, Julien Bayou, national secretary of EELV, vindicated the weight of the environmental party and its local governments and strongly criticized the management of the pandemic and the associated economic crisis of the government of Emmanuel Macron. At the same time he insisted on calling for a climate law that would serve to curb the climate crisis. He also called for the creation of an environmental pole before the 2022 presidential and legislative elections and described Marine Le Pen as a ghost of the past and Macron as a ghost of the present. At the same time, he drew a future starring the fight against the climate crisis and social injustice.