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Javier Ortega Smith, secretary general of far-right Spanish party Vox and the lawyer behind the party's private prosecution in the Catalan independence trial, today took part in an event entitled "Catalonia, a Spanish region" in the European Parliament. He ended his speech with a shout of "Long live Spain, long live Europe and Puigdemont to prison!".

The panel, which included several members of Vox, expressed opposition to the Catalan independence movement, immigration and multiculturalism. The event was organised by Polish MEP Kosma Złotowski of the right-wing, populist, Eurosceptic party PiS, currently in government in Warsaw. It was attended by some 150 people.

"Catalonia is Spain, Spain is Catalonia. Without law there is no democracy. Welcome to the resistance from Europe", said Ortega Smith, starting in English. "Secessionism has to be outlawed", he added, saying that they had gone to Brussels to "explain the great lie of the separatists, their great scam".

Ortega Smith lauded Spain's role in Europe, saying that "without [the battle of] Las Navas de Tolosa, without the battle of Lepanto and without Charles V, I believe that all the women in this room would be wearing burqas". The first battle took place in Andalusia during the Reconquista; the second was a 16th century naval engagement against the Ottoman Empire.

Later, speaking to the media, Ortega Smith referred to Puigdemont again, saying he is a "cowardly coup plotter, fled from the action of justice". He also attacked Puigdemont's successor as president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, who he called a "puppet of the xenophobic Puigdemont".

 

The event was not free from controversy, seeing a protest from members of staff of the EU institutions at its very start and in the context of decisions Parliament officials had taken on other proposed events in recent weeks​.