SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION ----- Catalan News Agency - Spanish government to ban pro-independence flags at Copa del Rey final

Catalan News Agency - Spanish government to ban pro-independence flags at Copa del Rey final

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Spanish government to ban pro-independence flags at Copa del Rey final

CNA

Barcelona (CNA).- Those supporters who attend the
Copa del Rey final between FC Barcelona and Sevilla F.C carrying
pro-independence flags won’t be able to access the stadium. This is the
warning which the Spanish government’s Delegate in Madrid, Concepción
Dancausa, sent this Wednesday. According to Dancausa, 2,500 police
agents will be deployed at Vicente Calderón Stadium, in Madrid, to “make
sure” that nobody is carrying “dangerous items such as or bottles or
materials of racist, xenophobic, political or religious propaganda which
may lead to public confrontations”. A double ring of security will be deployedin order to avoid the arena from turning into a “scene of political confrontation”, she added. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, described the prohibition as “a grave attack on freedom of expression” and assured that he won't attend the final until the right of expression of Barça’s supporters is respected”

President Puigdemont, strongly criticised the prohibition, which he
described as “a grave attack on freedom of expression”. “I won’t go to
the final, as I had initially planned, until the right of expression of
Barça’s supporters is respected”, he stated. Puigdemont also emphasised
that the ‘estelada’, Catalonia’s pro-independence flag, is “perfectly
legal and democratic”.

This is not the first time that FC Barcelona have had to deal with
this kind of controversy. At the Champions League final on the 6^th June
last, UEFA fined FC Barcelona for showing pro-independence flags during
the match and earlier this year the club was sanctioned with a 30,000
Euro fine for the same reason. 

Earlier this year, FC Barcelona’s President Josep
Maria Bartomeu defended “freedom of speech and opinion” and emphasised
that Barça “is a democratic club”. The vice-president Jordi Mestre, also
gave his opinion on UEFA’s decision to fine FC Barcelona for the
presence of Catalan independence flags at Camp
Nou during the game against Bayer Leverkusen. “We are surprised. We will
appeal against the decision, and if necessary, we will take legal
advice. We will battle until the end and we do not understand why UEFA
would treat us like this for something that does not incite violence”,
said Mestre.

FC Barcelona and Sevilla are set to do battle for the Copa del Rey this Sunday, and regardless of who wins in the final, the two will also meet in the summer’s Spanish Super Cup.

More on

Banning, Barça, Copa del Rey, FC Barcelona, Football, Pro-independence flags, Stadium

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Supporters showing pro-independence flags at Camp Nou, in December (by ACN)

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