For: International Workers’ Unity-Fourth International (UIT-CI)
The persecution of the separatist leaders and the restraint to democratic liberties are aggravating in Catalonia.
There is a leap in the repressive offensive. Against the separatist leaders, the members of the government and the former president of the Catalan parliament. The detention and imprisonment and the extradition orders were issued against former president Carles Puigdemont (exiled in Germany) and the other members of his government. The same with the leaders exiled in Scotland, Belgium or Switzerland.
Also, hundreds of activists, teachers, firefighters, councillors and mayors are being summoned to appear before the court.
The result of this repressive escalation is more political prisoners, exiles, hundreds of defendants and over 1,500 wounded in demonstrations these months.
The massive protests against Puigdemont’s arrest and for the freedom of the political prisoners were a strong response from the Catalan people.
German judges released Puigdemont and rejected to extradite him on rebellion charges. A drawback to the Spanish State government and its judges.
Though extradition risk is still pending.
Mariano Rajoy government and the state judiciary apparatus will pursue the persecution of the activists.
The monarchic Spanish State seeks to weaken Catalan people in their fight for national self-determination.
Their aim is not only to end the independent Catalan republic but also to exert a defeat in the service of new austerity measures against the workers and people in Catalonia and in the Spanish State.
The repressive escalation started after the 1 October referendum where the Catalan people decided on their self-determination as an independent Republic and they ratified this in the 3 October general strike last year.
In front of this situation, the monarchic Spanish State imposed direct rule over Parliament and the Generalitat and occupied Catalonia with National Police and Military Police.
Likewise, the tampering with democratic liberties is showed in the attack on the freedom of expression. Websites and other communication media are censored.
In the International Workers’ Unity Fourth International (UIT-CI), we believe fundamental to recover popular demonstration to stop repression and end the offensive of the reactionary governmentarre of Rajoy and for the independent Catalan Republic.
The Catalan leaders demobilised policy and their search for negotiations with the regime, headed by Puigdemont and his allies, have weakened the separatist movement.
Facing this situation, the unitary platform With Catalonia calls on mobilising on 14 and 15 April in Barcelona, the Spanish State and in all the world in support of the Catalan people fight.
An international appeal for the political prisoners and all the people that suffer the attacks of Rajoy government and the monarchic regime, inside and outside Catalonia.
UIT-CI adhere to this call to develop the broadest international solidarity with the fight of the Catalan people.
We call political, student and union organisations, social movements that claim to stand up for democratic rights and the self-determination of the peoples to organise in each country, unitary actions in front of embassies and consulates of the Spanish State, from the freedom of the political prisoners, the end of the persecution and repression. For a free Catalonia.
All the solidarity with the fight of the Catalan people.
Freedom to political prisoners.
No to Puigdemont extradition!
Enough persecution and criminalisation of separatists!
Long live free Catalonia!
6 April 2018
