The Catalan Parliament this Thursday has called for the withdrawal of the Civil Guard, Spain's gendarmerie, from Catalonia. It comes two years after the force's use of violence to try and stop the independence referendum and three days after it arrested nine Catalan activists on charges including terrorism.
The proposal, debated as part of the General Policy Debate starting the new political year, was announced by JxCat and ERC yesterday. Today, CUP voted in favour, En Comú abstained and Cs, PSC and PP voted against. The motion is not legally binding; it is merely the Parliament stating its position.
The motion calls for Spain's police forces to stop all operations which "we consider prospective and which make a speculative and arbitrary use of the offences in legislation associated with terrorism in order to repress social and political activism". They say the Civil Guard has a "political aspect" and is "focused on persecuting determined social and political groups".
This is the first time the Catalan chamber has voted on such a motion. Similar proposals have been brought before the Basque Parliament on various occasions, albeit unsuccessfully, the last time being in February 2017.
The same parties also voted to call for the resignation of the Spanish government's delegate to Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, who they believe is "manifestly incapable of guaranteeing the public's fundamental rights".