FundiPau strongly rejects the arrests of public seniors and members of Parliment for political reasons
Posicionament en català / posicionamiento en castellano
As an organization committed to the building of a culture of peace, the defense of human rights and the non-violent resolution of conflicts, we can’t keep silent in front of the situation that our country is undergoing at the moment. In fact we have never done it. Because we would not consider it right to give our opinion about distant conflicts but not focus on those we are living or have an impact at home.
And, we can’t deny it, Catalonia is undergoing a very serious political conflict at the moment.
From a culture of peace perspective it is said that conflicts are not necessarily negative. They are expressions of dissent related to important issues among human groups. And as such they are symptoms of imbalances, anxieties not satisfied, etc that have to be dealt with. We needn’t get scared by the conflict itself. We must try to deal with if from a positive, constructive and peaceful perspective. Therefore, the resulting resolution may be a new asset in the future of a community.
Catalonia got democracy, its institutions and self-government back after the very long Franco’s dictatorship. The feeling of the citizenship, politically represented, widely considered that the Catalan nation had to advance within the democratic Spain. With time though, and due to the evolution of society, generational changes, new global frames, the sprouting of new values, etc as well as the spread feeling within the Catalan society of not being respected and welcomed enough by the state, a surging unease started to fuel and it became clear with the crisis of the 2010 “self-government treaty”. The popular discomfort showed itself through a number of sovereign mobilizations. After 7 years of deep changes in our political system, we have had two terms in Parliament and two governments committed to the sovereign project.
Due to its national character, Catalonia has the right to exercise its right to self-determination. However, and beyond theoretical debates, from a strict democratic criterion it is impossible not to meet the claim of such right: The demand of the right to decide is widely shared by the Catalan society, around 70-80% according to different surveys.
The proposal for the referendum in October the 1st shows evident weaknesses in the level of parliamentary support and in its proposal and serious problems for its physical materialization and pertinent material conditions and juridical security
Despite everything, we must situate properly the conflict: if a big part of Catalan society claims for a referendum, the appropriate thing would be a negotiation between Catalan and Spanish government to set the framework and deadlines of this referendum and convene it together with the maximum of guarantees, likewise it has happened in other cases in the world. I would also be the best way to get on track this conflict. The refusal of the Spanish government to accept this way of pacific and negotiated solution has let us to the current deadlock.
So, we want to express:
. The legitimacy of the Catalan Parliament to convene a referendum, and even more when the Spanish Government refuses repeatedly to negotiate it.
. The need that the Spanish political system understands that a coexistence between Catalonia and the rest of the Spanish State can only happen in a frame of confidence and mutual respect. Deny the right to leave of the Catalan society or, what’s the same, force it to stay even if the citizenship doesn’t want to, besides clearly reprehensible in democratic terms, it is not pertinent to promote a solid and future coexistence.
. Our experience in conflicts shows us that, sooner or later, the spaces for dialogue and negotiation show up. So, it’s better to advance them than to delay them.
. We radically reject the authoritarian and repressive drift the Spanish Estate is taking. The demands of a society, especially if they are meaningful, relevant and held up in time, claim for response, proposal and dialogue not to mute them with repression. If anyone thinks that imprisoning, censuring and shutting mouths can solve the political problem we are living, means he has understood absolutely nothing. The searches of the sending of documents, the pressure on the Media, today’s arrests of members of the Government, etc. are absolutely reprehensible and condemnable.
. We call all the institutions, governments, political parties, social organizations, and Media, to act responsibly and to promote ways of solution based on the ineludible base of consulting and respect the opinion of the citizenship.
. In this moment, more than ever, we claim everyone not to fall into provocations, to reject any intolerance and to practice actively nonviolence and pacific resistance.
Barcelona, 20th September 2017
