Thursday 19 February 2004

Shame on Spain

I am disgusted at the Spanish media and the government. The Spanish right is currently in a crusade to eliminate all opposition, be it the Labour party, the Basques (whether pro-independence or not) and the Catalans, no matter how moderate we are.

They want to impose to everyone their idea of Spain: one language, one culture, one nation and no diversity. They want to eliminate any manifestation of Catalan or Basque culture and citizenship. Our forefathers said no in 1936 and they were crushed to death; millions had to exile to France or the Americas.

It is not that different now: newspapers and political parties are being outlawed and media persecution of Catalan culture and nationhood is the new pastime of the Madrid media. Shame on them, because we will never, ever give up our right to be Catalans, whether we form part of Spain or as a free nation in Europe.

The nationalist Spanish media is adopting the same pattern and speech as the Serbian media just before the collapse of the former Yugoslavia. Intimidate, persecute and ultimately eliminate your enemy by any means.

I just hope that the international community comes to the rescue of the Catalan and Basque people before the Madrid government sends in the Army or suppresses our institutions of self-government. I am in Scotland now but I fear for my family and friends. We will need your help to resist this cultural and political genocide by the Spanish right, the heirs of the fascist dictator Franco.

We will never surrender to Spanish Fascism again, I hope this time we get a little more help from the international community.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3499477.stm