The chair of the Republican parliamentary group Sergi Sabrià condemns the decision of Spain’s Supreme Court as “absolutely inexplicable” and says it is without doubt the result of “their dread of European parliamentary immunity”

The Supreme Court has prohibited Oriol Junqueras, the president of Esquerra Republicana—Catalonia’s Republican Left—from collecting his credentials, and thus prevented his becoming a Member of the European Parliament. The chair of the Republican parliamentary group Sergi Sabrià described the court's decision as “an attack on democracy” since “it flouts the election results and trifles with the votes of countless citizens,” he pointed out.

In the Supreme Court pronouncement, the judges allege that letting Mr Junqueras travel to Brussels “would jeopardize the proceedings irreversibly.” According to Mr Sabrià, this decision is “absolutely inexplicable” since only a month ago the judges allowed Mr Junqueras to collect his credentials as a member of the Spanish Congress. “It may well have to do with their dread of European parliamentary immunity,” sentenced the chair of the Republican parliamentary group.

Mr Sabrià also made it clear that this decision does not come as a surprise, but that “the independentists will not wane, we will continue our fight, we will continue to run in elections and to defend our project and our rights. The next step will be to appeal this ruling,” he concluded.

Independentists will not wane, we will continue our fight, we will continue to run in elections and to defend our project and our rights

Sergi Sabrià Chair of the Republican parliamentary group

Other public figures have reacted to the judicial pronouncement in the same vein as Sergi Sabrià, like deputy First Minister Pere Aragonès, who via Twitter roundly stated that “It was alright for Congress but not for the European Parliament” and added that the Spanish judiciary is afraid of Oriol Junqueras: “It is a flagrant breach of his political rights and those of thousands of people who voted for him on May 26. Of course, they know that Europe would demolish their legal farce”, said the deputy First Minister.

Likewise, other leading Republican candidates in the European elections, Diana Riba and Jordi Solé, also condemned the decision by the Supreme Court. “Once again, this confirms the injustice of the Spanish Judicial system. It is a shamefully arbitrary system that serves only the interests of the State. We will fight it to the very last consequences” said Ms Riba.

Mr Solé railed against the Supreme Court: “What a shameful Supreme Court, violating the political rights of Oriol Junqueras when it suits you”. He also insisted that the prohibition “is a flagrant breach of his political rights and those of the 1,257,484 citizens who voted for him in the European elections”.