Forn vows Catalan police will uphold the law and “allow people to vote”
Catalonia’s new Home Secretary rules out any court injunction that might get in the way of the police doing their job on October 1
BarcelonaCatalonia’s Home Secretary, Joaquim Forn, has stated that it is the police’s duty to uphold the law and, “like any police force in any country”, to make it possible for “people to cast their ballot” whenever a vote is held. Speaking with reporters following a meeting with the force’s top brass, Forn remarked that, on the day of the independence referendum, the Mossos d’Esquadra (the 17,000-strong Catalan police force under his command) will act as on previous election days. He also mentioned that he does not “anticipate” any court injunction to be issued and that, should there be one, they will study it in detail.
At the same event, new police head Pere Soler explained that he will strive to ensure that “all members of the public” are safe and their rights are guaranteed. Soler argued that he is “an approachable” person who is “open to dialogue”.
Forn’s get-together with Soler came after the Catalan minister’s first official meeting with Enric Millo, the representative of the Spanish government in Catalonia, who voiced “concern” about the commitment of the new Home Affairs leadership towards law enforcement. The meeting between Millo and Forn, held this morning in the Spanish representative’s Barcelona office, was “cordial” and served to ratify the agreement achieved last week at Catalonia’s Junta de Seguretat (Security Council). According to EFE, the Spanish news service, they also sanctioned the cooperation protocol between the Mossos d’Esquadra and the various Spanish law enforcement agencies.
Joaquim Forn, a PDeCat member who is renowned for his openly pro-secession views, became Home Secretary on Friday last week following Jordi Jané’s resignation, which prompted police head Albert Batlle to step down on Monday, with Pere Soler taking over his job. Both Jané and Batlle —who had been criticised by some within ERC and the CUP for their lukewarm stand on independence— had publicly stated that, in the context of Catalonia’s independence process, the Catalan police force would uphold and enforce the law.
As for Soler, he was a CiU elected councillor in Terrassa (north of Barcelona city) and was the general manager of Catalonia’s Penitentiary Department. A staunch separatist, in the last few months Soler has posted messages on social networks stating that Spain will fail to block the referendum on October 1 and that he felt “sorry” for “all Spaniards”, for which he has faced flak from the opposition parties. This afternoon Forn and Soler held their first meeting with the police top brass and the anti-terrorist coordination committee after being sworn in.
