Many figures from the world of Catalan politics have this Monday shown their outrage at the decision by a judge to send to prison the leaders of pro-independence organisations ANC (Catalan National Assembly) and Òmnium, Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart respectively. Members of a number of parties have strongly criticised the order and shown their disbelief at events.
The Catalan president himself, Carles Puigdemont, described their imprisonment as "very bad news".
Translation: To imprison Cuixart and Sànchez is very bad news. They aim to imprison ideas but they make our need of liberty stronger.
The president later tweeted again in English:
Catalan Foreign Affairs minister, Raül Romeva, also chose to tweet in English:
Also tweeting within minutes was the Catalan vice-president, Oriol Junqueras, who criticised this action, coming after Catalan offers of dialogue.
We ask to talk, to sit down and negotiate and the PP [Popular Party], via the Public Prosecutor, responds with prison without bail.
Other deputies from their Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) alliance have shown their "incredulity" at events, for example Lluís Llach, Fabian Mohedano and Montse Candini.
Jordi Sánchez [sic] and Jordi Cuixart to the Soto del Real prison. Presidents, together with you.
Incredible, unthinkable, unjust.
We already have the first two political prisoners, make no mistake. Long live Spanish democracy.
MEP Ramón Tremosa tweeted his comment in English.
Other parties join the criticisms
The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, was one of the first to comment.
Prison for organising peaceful demonstrations? Totally unjust and a grave error which moves us away from dialogue. Enough judicialisation!
Madness! Neither legal bases, nor political common sense! No to the imprisonment of Sánchez and Cuixart! Who wants to blow up the conditions for dialogue?
They can't stoop lower. Freedom immediately Jordi Sanchez, freedom Jordi Cuixart. Freedom for political prisoners.
No. Not like that. Political prisoners. Spain 2017. [Link] They will not pass.
Freedom for Cuixart and Sanchez. If needs be we will stop the country. We're a single people.
The other side
For the PP (Popular Party), meanwhile, their leader in Catalonia, Xavier García Albiol, has celebrated the judge's decision.
To prison those responsible from the ANC and Òmnium for sedition. The rule of law ends up putting everyone in their place.
Not all those against Catalan independence and the referendum support the judge's decision though. The leader of the Catalan branch of PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Miquel Iceta, tweeted:
The judge's decision seems disproportionate to us. On 23rd September we already criticised Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart being accused of "sedition".