Societat Civil Catalana warns Catalans will be "collaborators" in coup if they vote on October 1st
Calls on Spanish government to take "preventative measures" such as a state of emergency or siege to block referendum
BarcelonaUnionist group Societat Civil Catalana (Spanish Civil Society, SCC in Catalan) said on Friday that the Catalan government will be staging a coup d'état if it calls and holds an "illegal referendum", and warned Catalans that they would be "collaborators in the crime" if they vote on October 1st (1-O). "They are calling on the people to participate in an alleged civic celebration of democracy, but they are actually inviting them to commit a crime, and this is very serious", noted José Domingo, vice-president of the unionist group, in a press conference. He also asked the Spanish authorities to adopt "preventative measures" to block the consultation. In his view, it would be sufficient to use the national security laws to invoke a state of emergency or siege.
Whether via the use of force by the Spanish government or through legal action, Domingo is convinced that the laws covering the referendum and transitoriness "will not be enacted", that "a break with Spain" will not happen, and that neither the Catalan Statute nor the Constitution will be annulled. "It's clear that on October 2nd Catalonia will not become a new country, but it could become a territory with a major conflict of public order", he added. He warned of "demonstrations against court rulings" and of the possibility of a call for "occupation of basic infrastructures to show that independence has, in fact, occurred". Considering everything, he called on the pro-independence forces to "listen to reason".
"Pro-independence forces want to take over the Catalan police force"
The SCC vice-president called on the Catalan government to make a "clear separation between politics and security", and stated that it wants to use the actions of the Mossos during the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils to "shine a positive light on some supposed statehood structures". "The independence forces want to take over the Mossos", he complained, while making clear that the Catalan police "must not join in the political debate, especially not at the present time".
On this point, Domingo openly accused Major Josep Lluís Trapero of the Mossos, complaining that he has recently adopted "a role that isn't his. He has overstepped his role of communicating police actions to entering fully into the political face-off”, he argued. SCC believes that the "political responsibility" after the jihadist attacks lies with Interior Minister Joaquim Forn and the General Director of the Mossos, Pere Soler. Up to now, said Domingo, "they have got it wrong: one due to excess and for lying in public, and the other for his absence, for not saying anything".
Considering everything, he called for Forn and Soler, together with Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, to appear before Parliament to give explanations on the management of the response to the attacks. "The next full session should not become the referendum session, but rather the one in which Catalan leaders thoroughly address the terrorist attack. The priority is this and nothing else", concluded the vice-president of the unionist group. He also asked that the bills on the referendum and legal transition be withdrawn, "given the current painful times being experienced in Catalonia".
