EU accuses Russia of ‘perverse interference’ in Catalan crisis
THE European Union has expressed alarm at the increasing propaganda role being played by Russia in the push for Catalonian independence.
Victor Boştinaru, a Romanian MEP and vice-chairman of the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, yesterday said he had evidence of Russian interference in the Catalan crisis.
Mr Bostinaru called Catalonia “another case of perverse interference” by Russian-backed media organisations and hackers with the aim of destabilising the EU, which has supported Spain in its crackdown on the Catalonian proindependence movement.
“We mustn’t be naive: behind those words and those slogans favourable to the independence movement, there are hidden intentions.”
It came as the speaker of Catalonia’s parliament was remanded in custody on suspicion of committing rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds with bail set at €150,000 (£133,000).
Carme Forcadell’s five fellow accused from the parliamentary speaker’s committee were allowed to remain at liberty by Spain’s supreme court, although four of them have one week to post €25,000 bail. Eight members of the former government of Carles Puigdemont, the deposed Catalonian president, are in prison n the same three counts.
A specialist team created to detect and combat Russian cyber attacks against the EU said there has been an increase in campaigns aimed at aggravating the crisis in Catalonia.
The East Stratcom Task Force has compiled a dossier of examples from news sites such as Sputnik, which it claims carries false claims about the Catalan conflict, such as the idea that the Balearic Islands also wanted to declare independence.
Members of the East Stratcom team, operated by the EU’S foreign affairs arm, told Spain’s El País newspaper that the Kremlin invests €1 billion (£885million) per year in public news media outlets such as Russia Today and Sputnik.
“The objective of the disinformation campaign is to destabilise the West, exploiting existing divisions or creating new, artificial ones.”
Mr Puigdemont has criticised the European Union over its “shameful support” for what he considers Spanish state repression.
In a letter posted on his Twitter feed yesterday, Mr Puigdemont said that Spain’s imposition of direct rule over Catalonia and the imprisoning of activists and politicians were “clearly contrary to the rule of law and the rules of the European Union”.
But Jean-claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, yesterday rejected the secessionist aspirations of any region within the EU.
“I say no to any form of separatism that adds division to the existing structures,” Mr Juncker said in front of Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister of Spain, in Salamanca, where he picked up an honoris causa doctorate.