Dear Consul General

Dear Consul General, Mr Vazquez
Members of Yes Musselburgh, a pro-Scottish independence group, have asked me to
convey to you our deep concern over the Spanish Government’s vindictiveness in serving
European arrest warrants on the elected and now imprisoned or exiled members of the
suspended Catalonia Parliament.
Our attention is drawn to the case of former Minister of Education, Clara Ponsati who as
you know has returned to St.Andrews University to maintain her liberty. We believe the
charge against her and her colleagues of misappropriation of public funds for running an
independence referendum in Catalonia is completely bogus. These parliamentarians were
simply fulfilling a democratically determined mandate.
Last December, an astonished international community witnessed through state television
and social media pro and anti independence voters and polling station staff being
violently attacked by Spanish police in riot gear. More astonishingly this violence was met
only by peaceful resistance. Then and now whenever Prof. Ponsati and Mr Puigdemont
appear on television or radio they seem models of dignified moderation. So the further
charge of “violent rebellion” is demonstrable nonsense.
In our view, the human rights of these Spanish citizens have been severely infringed by
your Government through political persecution. Yesterday Prof. Ponsati’s court hearing in
Edinburgh lasted only fifteen minutes after which she was freed on bail. She knows if a
Scottish Court defends her rights she will be free but at a price as she will probably have
to spend the rest of her life in Scotland. Equally, she knows and we know that if
extradited to Spain she is likely to die in gaol. All this for pursuing peaceful self
determination?
If you wish to correspond we will engage with you and share it on line. Either way we
would be grateful if you would inform your London Embassy of this communication and of
our disgust at the totalitarian actions of the Spanish government. In our opinion they
shame your homeland and are dangerous affront to justice and democracy.
Yours sincerely
Fraser McAllister,
Yes Musselburgh Member
cc Ms Clara Ponsati
Ms Sally Mapstone
Mr George Kerevan
Colin Beattie MSP