The philosopher Fernando Savater made this Thursday from Brussels a call to defend democracy in Spain and the rule of law because, he said, there is a movement to attack the country’s democratic stability.
“The undefended is lost. We are fed up with the minority sects that have extreme ideologies and boycott life and institutions. And the unreal interest of some rulers who have sacrificed in this country,” he said in reference to Spain.
Savater participated in a rally organized by Ciudadanos (Cs) in front of the European Parliament with the professor of constitutional law, Teresa Freixes, in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Day. Supported by the Liberal delegation in Brussels and MEPs from other parties, they stood at the doors of the European Parliament behind the flag, “Because what unites us. We defend the rule of law”, to criticize Pedro Sánchez’s amnesty project and the road to possible self-determination in Catalonia.
“Today we are here because it is a symbolic date, but we must always be ready to protest and take to the streets,” said Savater.
“We want a law that does not destroy itself, that does not exonerate the guilty, and that the state must apologize—a law that defends its sentences,” continued the philosopher and writer. In his opinion, the amnesty and self-determination demanded by the independentists are “simple signs of sectarian selfishness”.
The Basque philosopher encouraged people to remain strong against the “populist ghost” and emphasized that we must face “everything that diminishes the idea of ​​Spain as a democratic and European unity.” A task that is not only for the Spanish people but also for Europe, which “has the obligation to support one of the oldest countries that want to protect its democracy and unity.”
Constitutional Law Professor Teresa Freixes also spoke during the event. “We don’t want amnesty because it means the denial of the Transition and the Constitution, which breaks the equality between the Spaniards. “It seeks to turn seditionists into patriots in 2017 and is a mockery of judicial rulings and the rule of law.”
“Sedition and patriotism”
Freixes also justified the rejection of self-determination because “we are not a colony; we have determined ourselves by approving the Constitution of 1978” and because “a part of Spain cannot decide for the nation overall.”
Freixes recalled the words of Felipe VI six years ago in his speech on October 3, 2017 after the separatist coup of 1-O: “We are not alone; we are together in the resistance and in the construction of Catalonia, Spain, and “the Europe we want.”
The head of the Cs delegation in Brussels, Adrián Vázquez, spoke along the same lines: “We will bring this problem to Brussels and to the institutions because we must not deceive ourselves; the EU is our last line of defense against this constant attack on the separation of powers and the rule of law”.
The MEP recalled the work of Maite Pagaza, who was also present, and the entire Cs delegation in this legislature “against the occupation of the Attorney General’s Office, the obstruction of the CGPJ, the TC, the pardons, and now we oppose the amnesty, which exceeds any line of acceptance from a Democrat.”.
