The agreement between Together for Catalonia (Junts) and the Socialists (PSOE) to allow Pedro Sánchez the votes to form a new Spanish government in exchange for an amnesty for those prosecuted for Catalan independence process actions has set off all the alarms among Spain's reactionary right. The most conservative parts of the political world, the judicial world and the ecclesiastical world have already shown their opposition. And now part of Spain's security forces have added their voice. The Association Pro Civil Guard (APROGC), one of the most important organizations for members of this para-military force, have this Friday released a strong statement which leaves no doubt about the fierceness of their rejection of the agreement. One of the sentences in the text shows the extremes they are prepared to go to, if necessary: "We are ready to shed the last drop of our blood in defence of the sovereignty and independence of Spain and its constitutional order." An affirmation that has proved strong enough for the Spanish government to launch an investigation of who was behind it.
For APROGC, the main concern is a measure of exculpation that they say could blur the separation of powers. "Those of us who have the instruments to exercise the [state's] monopoly of force understand that only the administration of justice has the constitutional legitimacy and material capacity to ensure at this time that the higher principles of our legal system contained in Article 9 of the Constitution are not tossed into the rubbish," they say. They also add that they are observing "hopefully" the commitment and tenacity of the judiciary "to maintain its independence", and they hope that it will "find the way to preserve the rule of law". "In their work they will find our firm and undoubted commitment to guarantee equality before the law and its application, especially in the face of those who systematically and arbitrarily demonstrate an ambition to place themselves above everyone else and the law," they say, in a direct rebuke of the Catalan independentist leaders.
"The members of the Civil Guard observe the announced pact with profound concern. We consider that it aims to make a mockery of the constitutional mission entrusted to us as security forces and bodies, especially the judicial police", they state regretfully, referring to a key function of the Civil Guard, to work with the judiciary in its criminal investigations. The PSOE-Junts agreement, signed and released to the public this Thursday, covers, as part of the future amnesty law, "situations classified under the concept of lawfare or the judicialization of politics", while parliamentary committees will be opened to clarify the full reach of these cases of lawfare. "What was the use of so much sacrifice for decades in fulfillment of our constitutional mission if in the end our political leaders betray all the blood shed and all the effort made by Civil Guard members, by the police and by the fiscal judges over the last 40 years?" the statement continued.
In addition, this Civil Guard association recalls that Article 104 of the Constitution entrusts the security forces and bodies with "the mission of protecting the free exercise of public rights and liberties and the guaranteeing of public law and order". "The way we do it is affected by the oath to the flag that we take as military men," they say.
Spanish government investigates
The Spanish interior ministry has launched an investigation into the Civil Guards who claimed to be ready to "shed their blood" against the PSOE-Junts agreement that opens the door to a new government under Pedro Sánchez, and incorpates an amnesty that will apply to those prosecuted over the Catalan independence process. According to ElDiario.es this Friday, the director general of the Civil Guard, Leonardo Marcos, has ordered the information command of the corps - the elite structure - to identify the members of the Asociación pro Guardia Civil who published the statement in this they assure that they are "willing to shed the last drop" of their "blood in defence of the sovereignty and independence of Spain and its constitutional order".