Spain's centre-left PSOE will present a formal complaint to its Portuguese counterpart, PS, over its support for a motion in the Lisbon municipal assembly denouncing the repression in Catalonia and calling for the release of the political prisoners, according to the Jornal de Noticias.
"In the letter to be sent, the Spanish Socialists will express their displeasure at the "profound ignorance" of the Spanish reality that, in their opinion, the motion demonstrates, and will make it clear that Spain is a democratic state, where the Constitution and their laws apply," the paper reports.
The article notes that the motion has come at a time when the Spanish government, under PSOE, "is carrying out an intense international campaign to combat pro-independence propaganda abroad".
Lisbon city council, for its part, despite being led by PS, has distanced itself from the motion, stating its "total respect for the sovereignty of the Spanish state" and noting it is not bound by the vote.