Many figures from the world of Catalan politics have this Monday shown their outrage at the decision by a judge to send to prison the leaders of pro-independence organisations ANC (Catalan National Assembly) and Òmnium, Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart respectively. Members of a number of parties have strongly criticised the order and shown their disbelief at events.
The Catalan president himself, Carles Puigdemont, described their imprisonment as "very bad news".
Empresonar @jcuixart i @jordisanchezp és una molt mala notícia. Pretenen empresonar idees però ens fan més forta la necessitat de llibertat.
— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 16 de octubre de 2017
Translation: To imprison Cuixart and Sànchez is very bad news. They aim to imprison ideas but they make our need of liberty stronger.
The president later tweeted again in English:
Spain jails Catalonia's civil society leaders for organising peaceful demonstrations. Sadly, we have political prisoners again
— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 16 octobre 2017
Catalan Foreign Affairs minister, Raül Romeva, also chose to tweet in English:
Leaders of Catalonia's civil society movement jailed. This is how the new member of UN Human Rights Council responds to our offer of talks.
— Raül Romeva i Rueda (@raulromeva) 16 octobre 2017
Also tweeting within minutes was the Catalan vice-president, Oriol Junqueras, who criticised this action, coming after Catalan offers of dialogue.
Demanem parlar, seure i dialogar i el PP, via Fiscalia, respon amb presó incondicional a @jordisanchezp i @jcuixart #democràcia
— Oriol Junqueras (@junqueras) 16 de octubre de 2017
We ask to talk, to sit down and negotiate and the PP [Popular Party], via the Public Prosecutor, responds with prison without bail.
Other deputies from their Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) alliance have shown their "incredulity" at events, for example Lluís Llach, Fabian Mohedano and Montse Candini.
Jordi Sánchez i Jordi Cuixart a la presó de Soto del Real. Presidents, junts amb vosaltres.
— Lluís Llach (@lluis_llach) 16 de octubre de 2017
Jordi Sánchez [sic] and Jordi Cuixart to the Soto del Real prison. Presidents, together with you.
Increïble, impensable, injust.
— Fabian Mohedano (@fabianmohedano) 16 de octubre de 2017
Incredible, unthinkable, unjust.
Ja tenim els 2 primers presos polítics q ningú s'enganyi . Visca la democràcia Espanyola @JulianAssange https://t.co/2cUMWqNssI
— Montse Candini (@montsecandini) 16 de octubre de 2017
We already have the first two political prisoners, make no mistake. Long live Spanish democracy.
MEP Ramón Tremosa tweeted his comment in English.
Catalan Political Prisoners in Spain!!@jordisanchezp & @jcuixart, organizers of massive pacifist pro-independence demonstrations, jailed! https://t.co/VNMg2E0LrW
— Ramon Tremosa (@ramontremosa) 16 de octubre de 2017
Other parties join the criticisms
The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, was one of the first to comment.
Presó per organitzar manifestacions pacífiques? Totalment injust i un greu error que ens allunya del diàleg. Prou judicialització! pic.twitter.com/Xk3HC1LFtJ
— Ada Colau (@AdaColau) 16 octobre 2017
Prison for organising peaceful demonstrations? Totally unjust and a grave error which moves us away from dialogue. Enough judicialisation!
Una bogeria! Ni bases jurídiques, ni seny polític! No a l'empresonament de Sánchez i Cuixart! Qui vol dinamitar les condicions del diàleg?
— Lluís Rabell (@LluisRabell) 16 de octubre de 2017
Madness! Neither legal bases, nor political common sense! No to the imprisonment of Sánchez and Cuixart! Who wants to blow up the conditions for dialogue?
No es pot caure més baix. Llibertat inmediata Jordi Sanchez, llibertat Jordi Cuixart. Llibertat presos polítics.
— Xavier Domènech (@XavierDomenechs) 16 de octubre de 2017
They can't stoop lower. Freedom immediately Jordi Sanchez, freedom Jordi Cuixart. Freedom for political prisoners.
No. Así no. Presos políticos. España 2017. https://t.co/cfELDs4V4r No pasarán.
— Albano-Dante Fachin (@AlbanoDante76) 16 de octubre de 2017
No. Not like that. Political prisoners. Spain 2017. [Link] They will not pass.
Llibertat @jcuixart i Jordi Sánchez. Si cal aturarem el país. Som un sol poble. https://t.co/9Y9qo5z4AL
— Joan Giner (@giner_joan) 16 de octubre de 2017
Freedom for Cuixart and Sanchez. If needs be we will stop the country. We're a single people.
The other side
For the PP (Popular Party), meanwhile, their leader in Catalonia, Xavier García Albiol, has celebrated the judge's decision.
A prisión los responsables de la @assemblea y @omnium por sedición. El estado de derecho acaba poniendo a cada uno en su sitio.
— Xavier García Albiol (@Albiol_XG) 16 octobre 2017
To prison those responsible from the ANC and Òmnium for sedition. The rule of law ends up putting everyone in their place.
Not all those against Catalan independence and the referendum support the judge's decision though. The leader of the Catalan branch of PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Miquel Iceta, tweeted:
La decisió de la jutge ens sembla desproporcionada. El 23.09 ja vàrem criticar que s’acusés de "sedició" a Jordi Sànchez y Jordi Cuixart
— Miquel Iceta Llorens (@miqueliceta) 16 octobre 2017
The judge's decision seems disproportionate to us. On 23rd September we already criticised Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart being accused of "sedition".