After being arrested in Barcelona on Tuesday afternoon and later released, Catalonia’s pro-independence MEP Clara Ponsati arrived back in Brussels on Wednesday.
Before the European Parliament, gathered in plenary session, Clara Ponsatí denounced the institution’s inaction, the day after she was “illegally arrested” on a street in Barcelona for the first time since October 2017.
The former Education Minister of Carles Puigdemont’s Catalan government has been exiled for 5 years after being prosecuted for civil disobedience in the context of the extrajudicial referendum on self-determination on October 1, 2017. He was arrested on Tuesday afternoon. A few hours later a summons was issued to appear before the Spanish Supreme Court on April 24.
This Wednesday, Clara Ponsati accused the European Parliament and in particular its president Roberta Metzola of doing nothing to protect her immunity following her arrest.
A legal team led by a Spaniard at the crossroads
“I received no response and the presidency did nothing but refer the case to the Juridical Affairs Commission (JURI),” Ponsatti said. A jury commission was headed by Spaniard Adrián Vázquez, a deputy of the notoriously anti-independence Ciudadanos party.
“The failure to protect immunity following the illegal arrest of a Member of Parliament, which has never happened in the history of this House, is it the President’s policy or the attitude you reserve for us Catalans?”, concluded the MEP from Jundez in his speech. Carles Puigdemont and Toni CominOther MEPs were threatened with arrest upon their return to Spain.
Before the European Parliament, MEP of the ERC (Catalan Independence Party of the Left), Diana Ripa also criticized Ponsati’s arrest and asked Metzola to protect his immunity. “Ask Spanish justice to comply with European law once and for all”.
“A Secessionist Play”
During this session, other Spanish delegates criticized Ponsati’s position. “We all know here that they are fugitives, that they are outlaws and that they must answer to Spanish justice. Enough of the separatist drama,” said Dolores Montserrat of the Parti Popular. Later, Jordi Canas of Ciudadanos condemned Metzola for turning Ponsati into a “political show”.
On the merits of the case, Clara Ponsati’s lawyer told Supreme Court Justice Pablo Llarena that he does not expect the MEP on April 24 because he does not wish to attend her summons.
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