Catalan president Quim Torra has demanded "responsibilities" from Spain's interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, for the "intolerable action" and "unacceptable behaviour" from members of the Spanish police bodies, the Civil Guard and the National Police, against Catalan independence supporters.
In a visit to the Barcelona neighbourhood of Gràcia on Sunday, Torra stated that his government was "highly" concerned that "police officers have attacked citizens, such as the example of the photographer Jordi Borràs, and have insulted and spat at members of the Catalan parliament".
He also confirmed that on Saturday the Mossos d'Esquadra had identified a member of the Civil Guard as part of a group which was intending to remove yellow ribbons and other pro-independence symbols in several towns in the Ebre area of southern Catalonia.
For Torra, these are "three incidents that have put us on alert, and in the absence of any response from the Spanish Government's delegate in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, on the measures she plans to take to stop these intolerable actions, we are forced to ask the interior minister what he intends to do about them".
The Catalan president insisted that "we can't allow that either Catalan MPs or ordinary members of the public are insulted or attacked, and, therefore, we will ask him to explain".
Leave Mossos out of issues of partisanship
Torra also said that any question of partisanship must be put to one side with regard to the Catalan Mossos d'Esquadra police on this issue, which at face value involves one police body acting against a member of another. The Catalan president said that the Mossos have the responsibility to "watch over the security of all of us, and when it happens that, one night, a group of hooded men armed with knives, and carrying plans of the action they intend to take, are in our streets, the Mossos naturally have to act for the security of everyone".
Moreover, Torra asserted once again - echoing the words of imprisoned Omnium president Jordi Cuixart - that in the soon-to-be-held trial of the independence leaders "it is not for us to defend anything, it is we who will go out to accuse the Spanish state of fabricating the case against the independence movement".
Torra believes that this case "is a farce" and underlined that: "we do not accept this investigation, this authority of the Spanish courts to judge Catalan politicians who simply gave a voice to the people". "This for us is intolerable, it is a red line that we will never allow," he declared.