Junts and ERC have attacked this Wednesday the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, for the alleged "violation of rights" of independentists during the Pope's visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The minister has at all times defended the police deployment and has vindicated the Government's role in favor of "coexistence" in Catalonia through the approval of the Amnesty Law and pardons for those convicted in the 'procés'.
In his appearance in Congress to detail the circumstances of the death of two civil guards who were fighting drug trafficking in Huelva, Marlaska stressed that in Barcelona the Security Forces and Corps prioritized "public order" and that in no case was the exercise of freedom of expression limited, "which is the basis and basic pillar of a Rule of Law."
At the same time, he pointed out that this does not imply that in a specific act "no event or any political, ideological symbol" that could interfere with the normal development of the ceremony in Barcelona should be allowed.
The head of the Interior also recalled that there was "an express prohibition" in relation to the ecclesiastical acts of the papal visit regarding any political sign that could be displayed. For this reason, he again congratulated the National Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra for an "extraordinary" job that, he stressed, "neither saw nor altered the development" of the event.
Junts speaks of shame and legal scandal
Junts deputy Marta Madrenas was the harshest critic of the police intervention, denouncing a "violation of rights" during the religious act. According to her account, several singers were removed who, according to her version, carried 'esteladas' among their sheet music and could interpret 'Els Segadors', the anthem of Catalonia.
Madrenas considered these events to be of "extraordinary gravity because it means that interpreting the official national anthem of Catalonia in Catalonia was considered a very serious risk." "The Police illegally restricted fundamental rights. In the Sagrada Familia there was no violence, no attempts, no risk or threat, but citizens peacefully exercising their rights," she remarked.
The Junts representative has described Marlaska's response as an "authentic shame" and a "legal scandal," reproaching him for not admitting that the police action was incorrect and illegal, and for even praising the officers. "Anyone with a minimum knowledge of law knows that the rights to freedom of expression of those 600 people are being flagrantly violated," she asserted.
Therefore, she urged him to review police protocols and assume "some political responsibility," even expressing her wish that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) would eventually issue a ruling against Spain. "The National Police must respect the right of Catalans to wear an estelada wherever they like: in front of the Pope, in a football stadium, or at an event presided over by the King. The democratic quality of a State is not measured by how it treats those who think alike, but by how it protects those who disagree. And last week the State failed this test," she concluded.
ERC denounces a pattern in police actions
ERC deputy Francesc-Marc Álvaro Vidal has also questioned police behavior during the Pope's visit and has described the minister's explanations as "unsatisfactory and unacceptable."
"It was an out-of-place, exaggerated, unusual action, contrary to basic principles of a pluralistic society and more characteristic of the security forces of an authoritarian state than of a democracy, for the record," he stated in his speech.
Along these lines, Álvaro Vidal has warned that in Congress, "dangers" of the far-right are often pointed out, but he has maintained that there are current practices that "an ultra minister could have." "It wouldn't change much if the Minister of the Interior were Mr. Abascal, because these are not democratic actions," he added.
The republican parliamentarian also conveyed to Marlaska his concern about an agent's assault on a teacher during a teachers' protest in Valencia. "We do not understand that such events occur in a 21st-century police force. It is incomprehensible that a public servant treats a citizen in that way," he pointed out, insisting that this is not "an isolated incident" but "a pattern."
Likewise, he alluded to the death of the young Haitán Mejri last December during a police intervention in Torremolinos (Málaga), a case on which different groups will promote a non-legislative proposal in the Chamber. The deputy described the images as "chilling" and said they reminded him of the death of George Floyd in the United States. "This is incomprehensible in a 21st-century democracy. Minister, what is there to say about this? This is the example you offer us citizens," he concluded.
Bildu and Compromís criticize the brutality and control of the State Security Forces
From Bildu, deputy Jon Iñarritu maintained that the police action in Valencia "does not conform to what a public servant should do" and censured the "extreme brutality" that, in his opinion, the officers employed in the case of Haitan Mehri.
In the same vein, Compromís deputy attached to the Mixed Group, Àgueda Micó, rejected that Marlaska had described the police aggression in Valencia as "isolated cases" and demanded that he clarify what effects the opened file will have and if that agent will continue intervening in demonstrations. Furthermore, she accused the minister of "not having the slightest control" over the State Security Forces and warned that she will closely follow the evolution of this matter.