Protest movement

The detention of Carles Puigdemont and Clara Ponsati is a major step toward the development of a police state in Europe.

The charges against them are as hypocritical as they are fraudulent. The “crime” consists of nothing more than advancing the demand, which has a long political history, for the independence of Catalonia from Spain. They have neither called for, nor threatened, violence to achieve this goal. The Catalan independence movement (like the Scottish one) has relied on peaceful and democratic means: elections, parliamentary motions and demonstrations.

The Spanish judge resorted to completely specious arguments to claim the Catalonian leader was guilty of violent activities. He accused Puigdemont, absurdly, of accepting that there was a risk of violence during protests against raids on Catalan ministries by Spanish security forces.

When democratically-elected politicians are pursued in the EU for high treason, it is not hard to imagine how the leaders of mass protests or a general strike calling capitalist rule into question would be treated. The goal of the arrest of Puigdemont is to smother all opposition, resistance and protest. Europe’s rulers are responding to this growth of social and political opposition by moving ever more openly toward authoritarian and dictatorial forms of rule.

ALAN HINNRICHS Gillespie Terrace, Dundee “Hundreds turn out to support ex-catalan minister” (The Scotsman, 29 March). The Scottish National Party are encouraging their protest calls although Nicola Sturgeon is not 100 per cent in favour. This is because she understands the dilemma of SNP backing in this case. Tied up with Prof Ponsati’s human rights is the case for Scotland’s membership of the European Union. At the time of the Catalan independence vote, no countries in Europe backed the Catalans against the legal rights of the Spanish government.

This is looking like a real headache for Ms Sturgeon as she tries to placate her supporters, keep her own wish for independence alive and yet keep Spain and the EU on side.

Without at least a cast iron guarantee of some form of EU membership, the case for another Scottish independence referendum disappears. Just like that of the Skripals, the ramifications of a local case can have a huge and unforeseen international political effect. Ms Sturgeon is going to be tested on this one. (DR) GERALD EDWARDS

Broom Road, Glasgow