Add embezzlement and stir

The mayor of Sabadell, Maties Serracant, was summoned to court yesterday accused of disobedience during the Catalan referendum. By the time he left he had been informed that he was also being accused of embezzlement. Serracant used his right to remain silent in court, and read a statement condemning Spain’s repressive practices outside. He reminded his audience that “voting is not a crime” and neither is campaigning for a referendum. There were over 200 people at a demonstration outside the courtroom chanting “you’re not alone” in support of this mayor who will be standing for the CUP (a pro-independence left-wing party) again in May.

Serracant said that by accusing him, “they are accusing thousands of Sabadell residents who made the Catalan referendum possible, people who were excited and committed to democracy, who put the ballot boxes out, defended schools, and stood in long queues to express their political opinions”. He said “today it is not self-determination in jeopardy, but freedom, with people imprisoned in unjustified preventative custody”. About 63,000 people took part in the Catalan referendum in Sabadell, which was “the most important democratic exercise in the last 40 years,” according to Serracant.

Serracant is being investigated as a result of a complaint filed by a Murcia resident who was opposed to the use of municipal facilities for the celebration of the referendum. “Sabadell has always been a city committed to democracy, to anti-fascism, and the defence of our basic human rights. Today more than ever, Sabadell will be a stronghold in this defence” the mayor said.