The Spanish ombudsman, Francisco Fernández Marugán, has called on the Catalan government to remove yellow loops, symbols of support for the imprisoned pro-independence leaders, from public buildings. He also expressed "concern" over the "deterioration" of social harmony in the autonomous community and started processing complaints on the matter, including one from a private citizen and that presented by Ciudadanos last week.
The ombudsman published a statement calling for the Catalan public powers to respect the "principle of ideological neutrality" which has to govern "any free, open, democratic and tolerant society". He says this principle is "incompatible with the presence on public buildings of symbols of an ideology".
Attacks
Fernández Marugán was especially concerned by the "deterioration of social harmony in Catalonia's public spaces" and condemned the attacks suffered by a member of the public who was removing yellow loops in Barcelona's Ciutadella park and a Telemadrid camera operator at a protest over the first attack. He made no reference to the groups of people who have taken to removing yellow loops around the country at night.
He believes it very important that the meeting of the Spain-Catalonia security board to be held this Wednesday should discuss the situation deriving from the presence of ideological symbols in public spaces and their removal.