Mayors respond as one

More than 700 mayors from all over Catalonia yesterday raised their mayoral batons and displayed the controversial decree that each signed in support of the referendum law passed last week in Parliament and that has been the basis of the opening of legal proceedings by the state prosecutor.They were responding to the call of the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) to respond to the order of the Attorney General of the State, José Manuel Maza, who urged prosecutors to investigate the 712 mayors who have supported a “illegal” referendum as a result of the preemptive suspension decreed by the Constitutional Court (TC) at the request of the government of Mariano Rajoy.

The group was welcomed by the Mayoress of Barcelona, Ada Colau in the courtyard of the City Council. Colau wanted to express her solidarity with the municipal leaders, some of whom had already received citations to testify. The officials then proceeded to cross plaça Sant Jaume to the Generalitat where they were received by the President of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont.

Speaking to the group, Puigdemont lamented the “undemocratic attitude” of central government towards the referendum and its manipulation of the courts forcing the confiscation of materials to be used for the referendum which he said would not impede the vote to take place, warning Rajoy not to“underestimate the strength of the people of Catalonia.”