Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2017
6. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has received reports from the embassy and the consulate in Barcelona regarding the upcoming referendum on Catalan independence; if he has raised this issue with the Spanish authorities or at a European Union level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39779/17]
View answerWill the Government condemn what can only be described as Francoist repression on the part of the Spanish state against the people of Catalonia where there has been an effective occupation by the Spanish state police with the arrest of upwards of 20 government officials, the seizure of ballot boxes, ballot papers and more than 100,000 election posters, the opening of post and the effective suspension of Catalan regional autonomy the other day?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Ireland enjoys a close relationship with Spain. These relations are deeper and more textured than simply involving periodic government-to-government relations or developing trade ties or occasional encounters at multilateral events. Our close friendship has at its heart an empathy which is nurtured by generations of contacts between our peoples and what happens in Spain is of great interest to our Spanish friends in the society we represent.
I am very much aware of the recent developments in Spain regarding Catalonia. Constitutional and political arrangements in any country of the European Union are matters to be determined by their own citizens through their own democratic institutions in adherence with the rule of law. It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that are internal to Spain.
It is precisely democratic institutions that are under threat from the Spanish Government. It is the democratically elected regional government of Catalonia that has called the referendum which is a democratic act. In Catalonia the vast majority of people from all backgrounds - measured at over 80% in a recent opinion poll - support the calling of the referendum. That is unlike the example in the North, where the legacy of the Troubles remains and sectarian divisions between the two communities are predominant. This is essentially a question of democracy and the right of the people to decide. The Spanish state is made up of many nationalities and the question is whether the Irish Government stands with the European Union in supporting the horrific anti-democratic repression that is taking place; it is occupation and a denial of the democratic right of the people in Catalonia. Does the Irish Government side with those who seek to exercise that democratic right?
I thank the Deputy for his response, but we can look at the most recent referendum in Scotland when we did not include ourselves in the debate. We allowed the Scottish people and the referendum system decide. As I stated earlier in the House in reply to a parliamentary question, the Government's position is that the constitutional and political arrangements in any country of the European Union are matters to be determined by citizens through their own democratic institutions and in adherence with the rule of law. I have stated that what happens in Spain is very much of interest to us, but the issues in hand are domestic; therefore, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on matters internal to Spain.
I am not asking the Minister to take a position on the referendum or the Irish Government to call for a "Yes" or "No" vote. I am calling on it to recognise that the people have the right to decide and that the referendum should go ahead without horrific repression by the Spanish state that is seeking to shut it down. There are coercive elements in the Spanish state constitution such as Article 155, which denies the national and democratic rights of the people. We stand with our brothers and sisters in our sister organisations in the Spanish state and Catalonia for the unity of working people in Catalonia and people across the Spanish state in defence of democratic and national rights. We stand against the right-wing and repressive Rajoy Government. This is about ordinary people on the ground and those who are struggling. They are building a major school student strike on 28 September and dockers have rightly refused to assist police boats in Barcelona Port. Others are pushing for a one-day general strike in Catalonia and the Spanish state to defend the democratic rights under threat.
I will repeat myself on the question of Catalonia, that it is very much a matter for the member state and one to be determined by its own constitution and institutions. Again, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter. The Spanish people have recourse to their own democratic institutions in keeping with the rule of law and they can agree to the constitutional and political arrangements most appropriate to them.
