British police chief rejects claim Catalan separatists were violent | World | The Times
CATALONIA
THE TIMES: British police chief rejects claim Catalan separatists were violent
With Assemblea Nacional Catalana - England & Òmnium International
The vast majority of protesters did not use violence against police
during the Catalan independence referendum campaign, according to an
independent report by a senior British police officer.
The
findings of Sir Hugh Orde, a former chief constable with the Police
Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and expert on public order,
contradict the narrative presented by the prosecution in the trial of 12
separatist leaders.
The Spanish government has been at pains to
show it is a fair trial, but it has been criticised for its heavy
handedness in what is essentially a political dispute. The prosecution
alleges that the Catalan leaders led violent clashes with police before
and during the referendum vote on October 1, 2017.
The report,
which was commissioned by the defence, was disclosed to The Times to
counter evidence from police during the trial, which is being shown live
on Spanish media and has gripped a country divided over the Catalan
independence crisis.
A number of officers have told the supreme
court in Madrid that they faced violence from separatists during a
demonstration when police raided the economy ministry in Barcelona in
September 2017 and on the day of the referendum.
The 12
separatist leaders face charges including rebellion, sedition,
disobedience and misuse of public funds. All deny wrongdoing.
The
report’s findings were not accepted by the court. Seven judges barred
Sir Hugh’s evidence from being used in the trial, ruling: “This expert
can only bring his appreciable experience in historic conflicts gathered
in other countries and does not have direct experience of the events
being judged.”
The report was commissioned by Omnium Cultural, a
pro-independence civic organisation whose president, Jordi Cuixart, is
among those on trial. Sir Hugh and Duncan McCausland, former assistant
chief constable of the PSNI, went through more than 100 CCTV videos,
documents and social media messages.
Prosecutors claim that about
40,000 protesters gathered outside the Catalan economy ministry during
the police raid. Mr Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, the former president of
the Catalan National Assembly, are both accused of rebellion for
allegedly orchestrating a violent demonstration. Two police cars were
trashed and police were trapped inside the building for hours.
The report, however, says that both activists asked the crowd to remain
peaceful during the demonstration. “There is a theme running through the
speeches of insisting that the protest is peaceful and that violence
should be isolated,” it concludes.
After these events,
prosecutors argue, the separatist leaders knew that violence could erupt
if they staged the referendum yet still went ahead with it.
However, Sir Hugh, 60, a former president of the Association of Chief
Police Officers, concluded that the referendum was largely non-violent,
although isolated clashes did take place. In one such incident police
beat voters and in another separatists attacked officers.
Referring to attempts by police to close polling stations on the day of
the referendum, the report says: “Based on what we viewed the vast
majority of protesters can be assessed as non-violent.”
The trial continues.
<< https://www.thetimes.co.uk/…/british-police-chief-casts-dou… >>
THE TIMES: British police chief rejects claim Catalan separatists were violent
With Assemblea Nacional Catalana - England & Òmnium International
The vast majority of protesters did not use violence against police
during the Catalan independence referendum campaign, according to an
independent report by a senior British police officer.
The
findings of Sir Hugh Orde, a former chief constable with the Police
Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and expert on public order,
contradict the narrative presented by the prosecution in the trial of 12
separatist leaders.
The Spanish government has been at pains to
show it is a fair trial, but it has been criticised for its heavy
handedness in what is essentially a political dispute. The prosecution
alleges that the Catalan leaders led violent clashes with police before
and during the referendum vote on October 1, 2017.
The report,
which was commissioned by the defence, was disclosed to The Times to
counter evidence from police during the trial, which is being shown live
on Spanish media and has gripped a country divided over the Catalan
independence crisis.
A number of officers have told the supreme
court in Madrid that they faced violence from separatists during a
demonstration when police raided the economy ministry in Barcelona in
September 2017 and on the day of the referendum.
The 12
separatist leaders face charges including rebellion, sedition,
disobedience and misuse of public funds. All deny wrongdoing.
The
report’s findings were not accepted by the court. Seven judges barred
Sir Hugh’s evidence from being used in the trial, ruling: “This expert
can only bring his appreciable experience in historic conflicts gathered
in other countries and does not have direct experience of the events
being judged.”
The report was commissioned by Omnium Cultural, a
pro-independence civic organisation whose president, Jordi Cuixart, is
among those on trial. Sir Hugh and Duncan McCausland, former assistant
chief constable of the PSNI, went through more than 100 CCTV videos,
documents and social media messages.
Prosecutors claim that about
40,000 protesters gathered outside the Catalan economy ministry during
the police raid. Mr Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, the former president of
the Catalan National Assembly, are both accused of rebellion for
allegedly orchestrating a violent demonstration. Two police cars were
trashed and police were trapped inside the building for hours.
The report, however, says that both activists asked the crowd to remain
peaceful during the demonstration. “There is a theme running through the
speeches of insisting that the protest is peaceful and that violence
should be isolated,” it concludes.
After these events,
prosecutors argue, the separatist leaders knew that violence could erupt
if they staged the referendum yet still went ahead with it.
However, Sir Hugh, 60, a former president of the Association of Chief
Police Officers, concluded that the referendum was largely non-violent,
although isolated clashes did take place. In one such incident police
beat voters and in another separatists attacked officers.
Referring to attempts by police to close polling stations on the day of
the referendum, the report says: “Based on what we viewed the vast
majority of protesters can be assessed as non-violent.”
The trial continues.
<< https://www.thetimes.co.uk/…/british-police-chief-casts-dou… >>
