[VIDEO] Irish MP denounces “shameful” EU silence on Catalonia

Matt Carthy, a Sinn Féin MP, talked about Catalonia at the Irish Parliament on Monday. He recalled that Spain’s “violent response” to the 2017 independence referendum was “excessive and destructive”, that the Catalan Parliament was dissolved and political leaders imprisoned. “The most disconcerting thing has been the inaction of the European institutions. If what had happened in Catalonia had happened in certain parts of South America or Asia, the protests of European leaders would have been deafening”, Carthy said.

Urging the Irish government to stand up at EU level for democracy, human rights & self-determination in Catalonia. pic.twitter.com/RIAEvuToXR

— Matt Carthy TD (@mattcarthy) March 29, 2021

Carthy, who had been a Member of the European Parliament, criticized the repressive drift of the Spanish state, but focused his criticism on the European Union: “It is tragic that the Spanish government has not learned from the mistakes of a hundred years ago, but it is absolutely shameful that the European Union has allowed the crisis in Catalonia. It is a shame that no leader of the European Union has stood up in support of democracy, human rights or justice”.