Members of pro-union party Ciutadans (Cs) have this Friday removed a poster in support of the Catalan political prisoners from Reus city hall. The party says they did so to guarantee the neutrality of the public space. Two of their four councillors in the city took part.
The act led to a verbal confrontation between the unionists and people in the city square at the time.
Reus' mayor, Carles Pellicer, condemned the act and put the banner back hanging from the balcony.
El batlle de #Reus ha tornat a penjar la pancarta #llibertatpresospolíticsiexiliats al balcó de l'ajuntament després que militants de Cs l’hagin retirat aquest mati, i anuncia també que el consistori denunciarà les persones del grup unionista per haver-la arrencat i per amenaces. pic.twitter.com/LHT8TapAQu
— Avis i Àvies per la República (@AvisxRepublica) 10 de agosto de 2018
Pellicer announced he will present two complaints to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police: the first to defend the institution, the second for threats and insults against the mayor. "Nobody can attack the seat of popular sovereignty. If there's a banner on the city hall, it's because the majority of the representatives of the popular sovereignty decided on it," he said.
He also criticised the local branch of Ciutadans, blaming them for causing "serious social fractures and confrontations". The mayor called on the authorities, including the police, to safeguard social harmony.