The president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, has given four days to his interior minister Miquel Buch to make changes in the ministry. Following criticism of the response by Catalan police the Mossos d'Esquadra to Thursday's protests in Girona and Terrassa, Torra has asked Buch to present a plan for the review of internal police protocols in the coming days. The Catalan president expects his interior minister to make departmental changes to avoid a repetition of Thursday's images, when the Mossos used high levels of violence against anti-fascist protesters who were themselves responding to a rally by the extreme right-wing party Vox .
This Friday morning, Torra announced from Slovenia, where he is on an official visit, that he will meet minister Buch on Sunday to review Mossos protocols and "make any changes required." The president stated that "if we have to make changes, we will", and that it is urgent "to see if bad practices were used" and to determine what "we are not doing correctly". The changes could be made effective in the course of next week, according to the president.
Torra made his comments from Ljubljana, in an appearance before the press. He said that if no changes had been made in the interior ministry by Tuesday, then he himself would make the decisions necessary. The president also said that "the Mossos have to guarantee public order in Catalonia".
With regard to the far-right rally organized yesterday in Girona, on the anniversary of Spain's Constitution, Torra said that for the ultra-right party Vox to "come and protest in Girona is a real provocation."
Buch admits disproportionate response
Meanwhile, interior minister Buch also admitted that the actions of some of the officers taking part in yesterday's Mossos intervention in the Girona and Terrassa protests were disproportionate. He also revealed that an investigation has been opened and that the images of the police charges carried out in both cities were being examined. "If they went beyond the limits of the law," Buch said, "I would have no hesitation in removing members from these squads."
Coinciding with Spain's Day of the Constitution, December 6th, a public holiday and the 40th anniversary of the document, now widely questioned, the Mossos charged against anti-fascist protesters in the two cities, also firing foam bullets. Two protesters are facing accusations of attacks on authority and about twenty people were injured in total, including five members of the Mossos and a parliamentary deputy for the left-wing CUP party, Maria Sirvent.