The Catalan cultural NGO, Òmnium, has this Thursday unfurled a giant banner on Terminal 1 of Barcelona-El Prat airport to warn arriving visitors that "In Spain, protesting is terrorism". And it adds: "Behave yourself". The slogan in English intends to denounce the Democratic Tsunami case under which 12 people are being investigated for terrorism, among them a member of the Òmnium Cultural board, Oleguer Serra, who this Wednesday made it public that he is going into exile in Switzerland, due to alleged judicial persecution in the case. Several others of those accused have also taken similar action, after the long-dormant investigation, centred on the anonymous Tsunami protest platform active in Catalonia in late 2019, was revived and defined as a terrorism case just as the pro-independence amnesty was agreed last November.
On Wednesday, Òmnium made an institutional statement from Northern Catalonia, in Perpinyà, where they announced an international strategy in defence of fundamental rights, to be coordinated by Oleguer Serra himself from exile. Hours after hanging the banner at Barcelona airport, it was removed by staff, sources from the Mossos d'Esquadra police informed Europa Press.
💥 Que quedi clar a la gent d’aquí i a la gent de fora: a l’Estat espanyol protestar pot ser terrorisme.
— Òmnium Cultural (@omnium) April 11, 2024
La democràcia necessita que la gent protestem i ho continuarem fent! ✊ pic.twitter.com/cJwm4evfPr
Translation:
"Let it be clear to people here and to people from elsewhere: in Spain, protesting can be terrorism. Democracy needs people to protest and we will continue to do so!" - Òmnium Cultural.