Catalan president asks for international mediation backed by the EU

The international community and especially the European Union has to be involved. This is what the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, demanded on Monday, only a day after the Spanish police violence to stop the October 1 referendum throughout the country. He said that the Spanish government should accept “an international mediation” after the events on Sunday. “Probably the European Union cannot play this role, but it should sponsor it” to make sure that Spain takes part, he said.

According to Puigdemont, this mediation should start after the “restoration of the institutional normality” in the country. At the moment, around 10,000 extra Spanish police officers are still deployed in Catalonia. The Spanish government is exceptionally still in control of the finances of the country and some websites of private organizations are still closed down. Indeed, Puigdemont urged Spain to “end the freedoms restrictions of freedoms in Catalonia” and that the officers leave the territory as soon as possible.

The Catalan head of executive also said that what happened on Sunday “is the biggest wave of unjustified violence in 40 years.” “This cannot go unjustified,” he added. After the police charged thousands of citizens, some 900 of which ended up injured, the pro-independence leader announced that his government will launch an investigation to find out the people responsible for the events.