Seventy-six MEPs from the previous legislature and the one about to start have called on the Parliament's Bureau to "recognise and protect" the political rights of Catalan MEPs-elect Oriol Junqueras, Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín and to urge Spain to allow them to hold office.
The signatories believe that "the actions by Spanish authorities infringe upon the political rights of the MEPs-elect Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and Toni Comín, and those of the more than 2 million European citizens who voted for them" and mark an "unacceptable breach" of chamber rules and European treaties. The letter goes on to say that "it is clear that the intention of these decisions [is] to prevent the MEPs concerned [from being] granted all [their] rights and freedoms as European representatives".
MEPs from six different parliamentary groups have signed the letter: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, European Conservatives and Reformists, Greens–European Free Alliance, European United Left–Nordic Green Left and Identity and Democracy. The signatories also come from a variety of countries, including Scotland (Alyn Smith), Ireland (Liadh Ní Riada), Finland (Anneli Jäätteenmäki), Italy (Enrico Gasbarra, Barbara Spinelli) and France (Karima Delli, José Bové, Michèle Rivasi). Among the Spanish MEPs who have shown their support are Ramón Tremosa (PDeCAT), Josep-Maria Terricabras (ERC), Jordi Solé (ERC), María Dolores Sánchez Caldentey (Podemos), Izaskun Bilbao (PNB) and Pernando Barrena (EH-Bildu).
Translator's note: I haven't marked all the edits I've made to the quotes from the letter.