Nearly 200 people gather in the square to protest against a violation of fundamental rights
Almost 200 people gathered this Monday afternoon in front of Manlleu Town Hall to protest against the decision of the Supreme Court to disqualify the President of the Generalitat, Quim Torra, for not hanging a banner in favor of political prisoners during the period spring 2019 election.
The convocation in Plaça Fra Bernadí was announced as soon as Torra’s disqualification by the Supreme Court became known. The call was made by the ANC Manlleu and the CDR Manlleu and protested with shouts like ‘freedom’ or ‘independence’. The one in the city of Manlleu was one of dozens of rallies that took place throughout the country to protest against the court decision.
The Supreme Court confirms the disqualification of Torra for not removing the banner
The Supreme Court has unanimously confirmed the disqualification of one and a half years and a 30,000 euro fine for the president of the Generalitat, Quim Torra, for having ‘stubbornly, obstinately and repeatedly’ disobeyed the Central Electoral Board in not remove a banner in favor of political prisoners during the spring 2019 election period.
In this way, it ratifies the sentence imposed by the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia. The court says that the display of symbols during the electoral period violates the neutrality of the institutions. When the sentence reaches the Catalan high court and it is executed, Torra will have to stop being president of the Generalitat. The ratified sentence condemns to a year and a half of special disqualification both for the exercise of elective public positions, whether local, regional, state or European, and for the exercise of government functions, in the local, regional and State areas. In its judgment, the Supreme Court emphasizes that the scope of the appeal ‘is not the display of certain symbols or banners of a certain political option, but their use during electoral periods, disobeying the provisions of the Central Electoral Board’.
The case and related facts
The case dates back to March of last year, when Ciutadans asked Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat to remove the yellow ribbons and banners in favor of imprisoned and exiled pro-independence politicians from their facades, since it was a period electoral because general elections had been called for the following April 28. The Government said it would not remove the symbology, and Citizens took the case to the Central Electoral Board (JEC).
After several actions and appeals, the Supreme Court has confirmed the disqualification of Quim Torra for not removing the banner in favor of political prisoners during the electoral period of the spring of 2019. This decision has generated protests in Manlleu and other cities in Catalonia.
