The leader of the Mouvement du 1er Juillet (1st July Movement), Socialist Party candidate for the 2017 French presidential election and former minister, Benoît Hamon has described the European Union's role in the Catalan crisis as "disappointing complicity". In an interview with French public radio station France Inter, Hamon criticised European leaders for giving support to Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy in the application of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, saying that it's "not the right solution". Describing it as a "political and democratic crisis", Hamon said the best option would be to "propose dialogue" and that he "regrets" heads of state "getting in line behind the position of Mr Rajoy". For the French politician, everything now hangs on the "decision that will be taken by the head of the Catalan government, Mr Puigdemont".
Former prime minister Manuel Valls, who had lost the Socialist Party's primary to Hamon for this year's presidential elections, meanwhile, has shown his support for Rajoy's decision to apply article 155 in a series of tweets this morning.
Translation: For Catalonia. For Spain. For Europe. Respect for the Constitution, dialogue and respect for everyone, elections in Catalonia, unity of Spain.
Valls' sister, meanwhile, criticised her brother's support for Rajoy, invoking the memory of their grandfather, editor of a Catalan newspaper during the Spanish Civil War.
Translation: (Manuel Valls) We have to support the response from the democratic Spanish state. [in French, repeated in Catalan]. (Giovanna Valls) For God's sake enough! For grandfather Magí! It's not democratic, nor is [article] 155. Since when has something as brutish as the cessation of liberties been seen.