H.E. Pasqual Maragall i Mira
President of the Generalitat
Government of Catalonia
Plaça de Sant Jaume, 4
08002 Barcelona
Spain

Fax: + 34 93 318 65 96
H.E. Ernest Benach i Pascual
President
Parliament of Catalonia
Parc de la Ciutadella
08003 Barcelona
Spain

Fax: + 34 93 304 65 46
Vienna, 21 June 2006

Your Excellencies,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives in over 120 countries, is worried by the recent attack on a Spanish journalist by persons supporting Catalan independence.

According to information provided to IPI, on 5 June, Arcadi Espada, a columnist with the newspaper El Mundo, was assaulted at a political meeting held by the Citizens of Catalonia (“Ciutadans de Catalunya”) at the Auditori Narcis de Carreras de la Caixa in Girona.

The Citizens of Catalonia is a non-nationalist political group and Espada, who is a member, intended to take part in a discussion on a future referendum in Catalonia about autonomy for the region.

As Espada entered the meeting room, individuals carrying Catalan pro-independence flags approached calling him a “fascist.” He was then punched and manhandled, while others from the meeting tried to protect him. During the scuffle, the journalist suffered cuts and bruises.

Such meetings have attracted violence in the past and despite advance warnings of attempts to close non-nationalist political meetings, no police officers were present to maintain order.

Despite the violence, the meeting went ahead, but some individuals who had wished to attend were prevented from doing so.

The lack of a police presence at the 5 June meeting is a troubling sign that the regional government is failing to take seriously the possibility of violence at such venues. Journalists and other citizens have a constitutionally protected right to free association and free expression and persons intent on using violence and intimidation should not be allowed to stifle these rights.

Moreover, by allowing these individuals to escape prosecution for their assault, the local government risks emboldening them, leading to a further escalation in breaches of the peace.

With this in mind, IPI calls on Your Excellencies to do everything possible to see that those who assaulted Espada are either cautioned or prosecuted for their actions. We would also invite you to ensure that there is no repetition and that, in the future, these events are held without the threat of violence.

We thank you for your attention.

Johann P. Fritz
Director