Barcelona Fans Booed Spanish Anthem in Presence of the "king" (Video)

Fans of the Catalan football club Barcelona booed the Spanish anthem before a Spanish Cup final. The match was held at the "Wanda Metropolitano" stadium in Madrid; the "king" of Spain, Philippe VI, attended the event. He and his father are monarchs after the Franco's fascist uprising.

On April 21, Barcelona defeated Seville 5:0 and won the Spanish Cup for the 30th time. In 1925 another Spanish dictator, Rivera, closed the Barça's stadium because Fans of the Catalan football club Barcelona booed the Spanish imposed anthem too.

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Hundreds rally in Northern Catalonia in solidarity with the Catalan Political Priosiners: "It's intolerable"

More than 300 people rallied on April 21st in Perpignan (Northern Catalonia under French administration) to denounce the repression against Southern Catalonia and to demand the release of political prisoners. During the protest, yellow ribbons have been showed. During this week yellow bows have appeared in several areas of the Rosselló town.

The demonstration occurred the following day that the main official institution of Northern Catalonia, the Council of the Eastern Pyrenees, chaired by the Socialist Hermeline Malherbe, installed on its facade a large banner surrounded by yellow bows in support of prisoners Catalan politicians in Spain. It can be read, in French and Catalan, 'for the respect of fundamental freedoms and rights'. Simultaneously, the regional president, Carole Delga, said that there is "intolerable" that there are "political prisoners" in Europe.

In the afternoon at Cere villaget, various Northern Catalan organizations have held a plural debate about the situation of the Republican movement in Catalonia in the South and the prospects of working in the north.

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Ai Weiwei and Carles Puigdemont meet and exchange praise in Berlin

Chinese peaceful dissident Ai Weiwei and Catalonia's President Puigdemont meet and exchange praise in Berlin on Saturday April 21st. Weiwei described the Catalan President as "courageous Catalonian leader" and his situation as "a test case on human rights".  The Chinese contemporary artist has been highly and openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. He has investigated government corruption and cover-ups, in particular the Sichuan schools corruption scandal following the collapse of so-called "tofu-dreg schools" in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2011, following his arrest at Beijing Capital International Airport on 3 April, he was held for 81 days without any official charges being filed; officials alluded to their allegations of "economic crimes".

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Spanish police confiscate yellow shirts and scarfes from Barça fans

Several F.C.Barcelona supporters at the King's Cup final in Madrid have had yellow t-shirts with pro-independence slogans confiscated by police, as well as placards, scrafes and estelada (Catalan independence flag with a star) flags. Fans began complaining about this as they were entering Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Saturday evening for the final of the Copa del Rey - the King's Cup between Barça and Seville. Barça supporters took to Twitter to complain about the irregularities. One of the t-shirts that Spanish police were confiscating was that worn in the thousands by Catalans on the Catalan National Day, 2013. The police also refused to allow anyone to enter the ground with a placard saying 'Llibertat' (in Catalan, Freedom).

Catalonia's President, Carles Puigdemont, reacted with a clear sentence: "If a simple colour is now an offence against the state, what's next? Spanish political police."

Meanwhile some Spanish fans from Seville could freely be inside the stadium with Franco's flag. The Franco's flag is the same than the official Spanish one but with an eagle. In fact Franco illegaly supressed the legal Spanish flag now known as the Republican one.

 

Francoists flags were not confiscated by the Spanish police

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Presentation the EU-Catalonia Dialogue Platform

Members of the European Parliament presented today the EU-Catalonia Dialogue platform. The platform is formed by 40 members of the European Parliament from six different political groups and 15 EU countries which claim for a political solution for Catalonia. Ivo Vajgl, chair of the EU – Catalonia Dialogue Platform, called on the EU to take action in order to solve the conflict between Catalonia and the Spanish government.


Regarding the Catalan politicians who are in jail, Vajgl states that this problem can only be solved through dialogue, and not by humiliating those that think differently, which is what the Spanish government is doing. ajgl also commented that Carles Puigdemont knows that it will all end with a negotiation.

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Spanish police arrests and handcuff a Canarian citizen for a message saying "The Bourbons to the sharks"

Six vehicles of the Spanish police arrested the activist Roberto Mesa for alleged injuries spread in one of their profiles in social networks. The police intervention took place this morning at his current address, in the city of La Laguna (island of Tenerife), where he was now arrested. Mesa was handcuffed and taken to the offices of the Police, where he is detained waiting to be passed to court.

The arrest of Roberto Mesa, activist for the independence of the Canarian Islands (African territory under Spanish occupation), could be caused by the dissemination on Facebook of a message against the so called "king" on March 7th for he presided a socio-educational event held at the Tenerife Auditorium.  The message said: "The Bourbons, the Sharks", and in application of a legal precept of the so controversial and known as the so called Mordaza Law. This law chase people for their political ideas.

The Police, as indicated by a sister of the detainee on local radio, has taken the computer and the mobile of the arrested for a message ...

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Carme Forcadell, former Speaker, accuses the Spanish court of violating her fundamental rights

The former Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, accused the Spanish court of violating her fundamental rights and told to the judge inquisitors that she does not understand why she has been jailed again if he has complied with all the measures he has imposed on her. Forcadell has appeared to the Supreme and made a statement much more soft than that of MP Jordi Turull.

She has told the judge that his fundamental rights are being violated because the procedure should be followed by the TSJ and not the Supreme Court.

He also told Llarena that he was imprisoned in an unfair manner, because he has appeared in the courts for months, he has complied with all the measures he has imposed and has resigned from the minutes of the deputy. Words that had a much lower tone than those of Jordi Turull, who also said this Wednesday.

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Dolors Bassa to the Spanish court: The violence was produced only by the Spanish police

The Catalan Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Family, Dolors Bassa, has criticized the judicial procedure and instruction before the Spanish court and told it that she does not consider it "fair". On violence, Bassa told the judge inquisitor that the violence of October 1st Democratic Referendum was "produced" by the military police, Civil Guard, and the Spanish police. In addition, she denied the charges for which she has been prosecuted him for rebellion and embezzlement.

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Minister Jordi Turull faces the Spanish court: "You have made me a political prisoner. Rectify"

Minister Jordi Turull was recently a candidate for the investiture in the Parlament. Some hours later of his candidature he was jailed by a Spanish inquisition cort. He has faced the court blaming it for his current situation: "You have made me a political prisoner. Rectifiy it".

Sources present in the proceeding have indicated that Turull has reproached the magistrate who does not know if he was a political prisoner last November, when he first entered prison by order of the judge of the judge of the National Court Carmen Lamela, although now "he has no doubt" about it.

"You have put me in jail because, as you said literally in your car, I do not guarantee a successful return to self-government," the ex -mandante lamented, adding that there is a crossing of powers. "As long as the government tells us when they prosecute us and why they condemn us, the Supreme tells us which president we have to vote for." For all these reasons, Turull has asked the Spanish inquisitors to "stop putting Justice into politics" and does not intend to say "who should be the candidate to preside over the Generalitat". The Generalitat is the name of the Catalan Government. It was founded in 1359. Spain was born as an unified state only in 1714 after conquering Catalonia by militar ways.

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Foreign Affairs minister, Raül Romeva, at the Spanish court: judicialising the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain “is not legitimate”

The Foreign Affairs minister, Raül Romeva, told the judge that judicialising the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain “is not legitimate.” During his 45-minute hearing yesterday, he claimed that lawmakers were allowed to discuss anything in the Catalan chamber because they had “parliamentary immunity.” He also rejected allegations of violence and said that he has taken part in some peaceful missions to resolve conflicts. He added that he has never assumed, nor will he assume, violence as a possible strategy to achieve any political goal. Romeva remembered that the court “no powers” to imprison him, and his right to defense is being violated. He remembered he has immunity as MP.

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Jailed Minister Josep Rull declares in the Spanish Court: ‘I'll keep on fighting for Catalan independence, so that my children do not have to live in this country where you go to jail for your ideas'.

The jailed Catalan minister Josep Rull questioned Spain’s separation of powers in the hearing in the Spanish Supreme Court yesterday. The Spanish justice minister and other officials have “anticipated” some judicial rulings. Rull has also accused judge Llarena, in charge of his case, of following the Spanish government’s “roadmap.” For the jailed Catalan politician, this is evidence that the Supreme Court is not independent and is affected by the Spanish government's decisions.

In his hearing, Josep Rull also said that the judicial case against him is “political.” In fact, he claimed to the judge that if the parties in favor of a Catalan state had not won the last Catalan election on December 21, 2017, the independence judicial case would not be in the same situation as it is now. ‘I will keep on fighting for Catalan independence, so that my children do not have to live in a country where you go to jail for your ideas'.

 At a time when the political prisoners are no longer arguing for their release from pretrial detention, now they know they will be behind bars until the trial starts at least, they are no longer restraining themselves in what they say nor hiding their feelings. Their latest statements to the Supreme Court have been a platform to defend their pro-independence feelings and to tell the judge, face-to-face, what they think of his investigation and the way legislative and legal power have been mixed.

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Pro Spanish paint Swastikas and Fascist Symbols in a Catalan party HQ and a civical center

Pro Spanish Fascists attacked on Sunday night the HQ of the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) in Figueres a stronghold of the far right party Ciudadanos in the region of Girona. The unionist party had stated against the CUP positions last weeks. The unitarists painted swastikas as well as Celtic crosses, a symbol usually used by the French and Italian Fascists. The Spaniards also painted a Stafbar, symbol of the Hitlerian Junge Front. Spanish militants usually use Nazi symbols which are very well seen by a Spanish society who lived and supported the Francos's regime during almost 40 years. In fact the Spanish "king" as well as his father were nominated by Franco himself. The Fascist dictator fought with the Nazis via the Blue Division today honoured in many Spanish cities. The Spanish ruling party was founded by a Franco minister and the leader of the Ciudadanos party in Catalonia is a daughter of a Spanish Francoist policeman as well as the nephew of the Albacete province Franco's governor.

In the neighborhood of Besos, Barcelona, another stronghold of Ciudadanos, Fascist painted a civical center with Swastikas and against the independence. The police under Spanish command who always is ready to detain pro independence people never find the responsibles of crime hates against Catalans and swastikas painters. Never.

Figueres

Barcelona

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Jordi Cuixart tells to the Spanish court that there is no ideological freedom in Spain

Jordi Cuixart, president of the Catalan cultural association Òmnium Cultural, read before the judge a statement in defense of the Catalan right to self-determination. Cuixart also warned that rights of assembly, protest and expression are being violated in Catalonia, and insisted that the independence movement have always been peaceful. Òmnium Cultural was prosecuted by Franco's dictatorship but even the Fascist never dare to jail its members.

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Jordi Sànchez, former president of the civil society organization Catalan National Assembly to the Spanish court: "You cannot be both judge and victim of the independence roadmap"

Jordi Sànchez, number two of Carles Puigdemont party JxCat (Together for Catalonia) and former activist, criticized the Spanish Supreme judge for not being "impartial".  MP Jordi Sànchez, former president of the grassroots civil society organization Catalan National Assembly (ANC) said: "You cannot be both judge and victim of the independence roadmap," he told him in court. In his statement before the judge, Sànchez also urged the magistrate to respect his political rights and allow him to attend Parliament to be voted as president. The judge denied him permission to attend the vote despite the UN Committee on Human Rights urging Spain to take "all measures" needed to respect his political rights.

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Catalonia's VP to the Spanish court: "Defending and promoting independence is fully legal"

In a court appearance on Monday, the jailed Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras defended Catalonia’s right to self-determination and told the judge that calling a referendum is no crime. The Vice president Oriol Junqueras made a 40-minute appearance in Spain’s inquisition Court, where he is charged with rebellion and misuse of public funds for his part in the push for independence.

Answering questions from his lawyer, Junqueras said the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC, Catalonia's Republican Left) party he heads has for decades stood for an independent Catalonia without it ever being questioned. What’s more, the vice president insisted that “not a cent” of public money had been used to organize the unilateral referendum on independence on October 1, and he condemned the “intolerable” hardline tactics used by Spanish riot police to prevent the vote from taking place.

While Junqueras pointed out that numerous attempts were made by Catalonia’s pro-independence executive to engage the state government in dialogue, he went on to stress the pacifist nature of his political activities. In fact, Junqueras denied that any violence had been committed by the independence movement and was not even considered “as possible” by the Catalan government.

The vice president was also critical of the legal process he is subject to, arguing that he should not be tried in the Spanish Supreme Court but rather in Catalonia’s High Court of Justice (TSJC). Junqueras also claimed that the legal proceedings against pro-independence leaders are an attempt to nullify a political movement and are thus an infringement of political rights.

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A thousand people rally in Palma and València to free Political Prisoners and Respect the Democracy

The "monster" demonstration in Barcelona yesterday had minor sisters in Palma as well as València. A crowd of 800 demonstrated in the island of Majorca, conquered by the Catalan King James I in 1231. The demonstrators marched towards the Spanish government office claiming to end the Spanish direct rule and supporting the decisions of the Catalan Parliament. Simultanously a rally took place in Valencia, conquered by the same Catalan king in 1237, with the same aim. Some Spanish supremacists shouted against the peaceful demonstrators who marched in solidarity with Catalonia.

Up : Palma; Down: València.

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Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sánchez: political prisoners

In Spain there are political prisoners, innocent people like Jordi Cuixart, Jordi Sánchez... In this video we want to show to the world how is the Spanish system.
STOP political prisoners!
Release them all.
 

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750,000 people in Barcelona's in a huge rally demanding freedom for jailed Catalan leaders and respect of democratic decisions

A huge rally draws hundreds of thousands to the streets of Barcelona. Protesters waved Catalan pro independence flags behind a huge banner that read "for rights and liberties, for democracy and unity, we want them back home!".
The demonstration was organized by a new alliance of the Catalan civil society called Coexistence and Democracy Space formed by all the Catalan labor unions, civil organizations, the cultural ones ans the two pro-independence grassroots groups, the National Catalan Assembly and Omnium, whose presidents are among the nine persones in prison awaiting trial for their roles in last year's successful referendum in Catalonia. All the parties except the Spanish nationalists have supported the rally.

They can cut all the flowers... but they can't stop the spring.

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Defending Democracy in front of Inquisition: Parliament to file a complaint against judge for violating MP Jordi Sànchez's rights

The Catalan Parliament will file a complaint for malfeasance against judge Pablo Llarena and the criminal chamber of the Spanish Supreme Court. The announcement was made on Thursday evening by speaker Roger Torrent and confirmed by the Parliament's Bureau in an extraordinary meeting this Friday morning. The decision has come after the judge again refused to let Jordi Sànchez attend Parliament to participate in a debate on his investiture as president, despite interim measures decreed by the UN Human Rights Committee.

The measure was passed with votes in favour from JxCat (Together for Catalonia, list of support to President Carles Puigdemont) and ERC (Catalan Republican Left, pro independence left) and votes against from C'anos (Spanish nationalist Far Right) and PSOE (Spanish nationalist left) . During the meeting, the chamber's lawyers expressed agreement over the background to the question, about the existence of a violation of the JxCat deputy's political rights, but also expressed mistrust as to whether the Parliament can adopt such a measure. Despite the lawyers having noted they are not experts in criminal law, they have been entrusted with drafting the complaint against judge Llarena and the judges of the criminal chamber who could have intervened.

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The PP spokesman who threated with hanging Puigdemont discovered lying with his CV

Pablo Casado Blanco is a well known person for Catalan people. He usually threat Catalan politicians. Some months ago he said that the Catalan Parliament speaker should remember that he has two daughters before take some political decisions. Some time before, this People’s Party (Spanish ruling party founded by a Franco's Minister) spokesman warned Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, that should he go ahead and declare independence, he could end up like a previous president of Catalonia who was executed by a Franco regime firing squad in 1940. The PP government spokesman’s comments drew widespread condemnation from the members of Catalan political parties but silence of the Spanish ones. Comparing Puigdemont “to the man who declared [independence] 83 years ago”, Pablo Casado was referring to Lluís Companys, the Catalan president during the Spanish Civil War who declared a Catalan state in 1934. After the war, the Gestapo captured Companys in France and handed him over to the Franco regime, who executed him. Companys remains the only democratically elected European leader to have ever been executed.  

The Vice-Secretary of Communications of the Spanish People's Party and Deputy has been discovered as a lier now. Between June 16 and 19, 2008, he completed an intensive course in "Driving Government Performance" by Robert Behn, a professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The course took place in Madrid, precisely at the Business School of the University of Navarra, known as IESE. This program was offered by IESE "in collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School".

The official curriculum of Casado Blanco presents it with a "DGP of the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University". DGP obviously refers to the name of the course (Driving Government Performance) and not to an academic degree as such .

This politician assures that it was a postgraduate course: "You can say that they are postgraduates, yes, because they ask you for a degree to access them," Casado Blanco told eldiario.es.

However, this means that the course the MP has taken can not be considered a graduate because there are no academic prerequisites for it. 

It is not the only question of the title of Casado Blanco. The politician has a master's degree in autonomy and local law from Rey Juan Carlos University, allegedly between 2008 and 2009, but he could not remember whether he had gone to class or passed exams.Married Blanco does not even remember whether he was a scholarship holder for the DGP course or whether he paid the 2,000 euros.

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