A group of Danish members of parliament has sent a letter strongly urging the Spanish government to enter into dialogue with Catalonia. The letter, sent to the president of the Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, bears the seal of the Parliament of Denmark.
Diputats de la majoria de partits danesos adrecen una carta demolidora al Govern espanyol i l'insten al diàleg amb Catalunya. pic.twitter.com/WXCvJaXmdH
— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 15 de setembre de 2017
Translation: MPs from the majority of Danish political parties send a devastating letter to the Spanish government insisting on the need for dialogue with Catalonia. - Carles Puigdemont
In the letter, the group of Danish MPs state their consternation at the current state of the Catalan independence process: "We, as elected members of the Danish Parliament, express our profound concern for the situation being experienced in Catalonia, which has reached a critical point". For that reason they ask the Spanish government to "play a constructive role" that will encourage dialogue.
They also refer to last Monday's huge demonstration on Catalonia's national day, the Diada, explaining that once more, for the sixth year in a row, the world saw "around one million people in Catalonia, taking to the streets in a peaceful way" and asking for a referendum. It is for that reason, say the Danish representatives, that they do not understand why the Spanish authorities have not responded to this request and why "there is not a willingness to engage in a dialogue".
The letter recalls that "in a democracy, threats and judiciary and legal responses are not the solution", and points out that, in any European country, the onus for resolving this type of difficulty falls on political leaders: "politicians, not judges or police force, should primarily deal with political tensions".
Finally, the Danish MPs conclude that the debates in the Catalan parliament "cannot lead to a court case brought by the Spanish government against the Catalan president and his team". They add that the repressive actions and threats of the last few days against civil servants, local mayors and citizens "will not be the solution to a political problem". For all of these reasons, they state that they, as "MPs representing a democratic country, are increasingly puzzled and concerned about this apparent lack of political skills to address what is, essentially, a political challenge."
