There has been a further escalation in the “judicialization” of the political crisis in Catalonia with “terrorism” now included in the charges against a grassroots activist arrested yesterday.
A few days ago the Spanish National Court warned that it would prosecute members of the many decentralised Committees for the Defense of the Republic (CDRs) in the wake of their recent actions of non-violent civil disobedience in Catalonia, which have caused disruption on some major roads and at toll booths. Yesterday a 34-year old woman and CDR activist, Tamara Carrasco, was arrested by Guardia Civil in Viladecans, a town near Barcelona airport as part of “Operation Maluc”.
Civil Guard detain leader of pro-Catalan independence CDR pic.twitter.com/P7GiolFFwc
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) April 10, 2018
The woman was detained overnight in the jails of the Civil Guard in Tres Cantos (Madrid) without any incommunicado detention measures and will appear on Thursday before a National Court judge on charges of rebellion and terrorism. An operation to arrest a second CDR activist in nearby municipality of Esplugues failed to locate their target and brought more than 500 local people out onto the streets in support of the CDR.
Condemnation of the “terrorism” charges has been wide ranging.
- Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, called it “outrageous”, stating “the only terrorism we have seen is what took place on Las Ramblas in August 2017”
- Multiple questions on the terrorism charges in Spain from journalists at a European Commission press conference were batted away without answer by EC chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas
- The leader of the Socialists in Catalonia (Miquel Iceta), a party opposed to Catalan independence, said the protests organized by the CDR could not be linked to terrorism. “We have seen roads cut off, protests on motorways, graffiti, the odd act of local vandalism, but not terrorism.”