Alex Salmond condemns the EU’s ‘silence’ over Catalonia violence

Alex Salmond has stated that both the EU and the UK government will forever be condemned for failing to speak out against violence in Catalonia.

A number of videos on social media appeared to show police violence against independence campaigners in the build up to the vote.

Following the vote the region was stripped of its autonomy for declaring independence and Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was dismissed as Spain’s central government took control of Catalan institutions.

Speaking on his show on LBC, the former First Minister said the stance of both was ‘unaceptable’ and stated that he felt Brexit was a factor in not speaking out.

He said: “I don’t think the Catalonian government should be in the dock, they’re pursuing the will of the Catalonian people.

“I think the EU are in the dock on this.

“My regret is their unwillingness to condemn outright the violence that we saw from the Spanish state on the people of Catalonia who were merely trying to exercise their right to vote.

“That was the guilty silence of the EU, and that applies to the UK government as well.”

He even used the platform to name and shame some who did not come forward saying: “Boris Johnson wants to comment on just about everything as well, most of it not in his remit.

“He didn’t say a word about the violence of the Spanish state police. Neither did Prime Minister Theresa May.

“I think it’s because they’re scared of Señor Rajoy.

“Because the UK is in such a weakened position in the Brexit negotiations, our government have lost the ability even to condemn outright state violence by a police force against a peaceful civilian population when all of us saw it on our screens.

“The guilty silence on this issue is not because people are for or against independence for Catalonia, or Catalonian self-determination.

“These are arguable cases, what is not an arguable case is to stand idly by and say nothing when violence is perpetrated against a civilian population.

“That is the guilty silence of the EU and the UK government.

“They shall be forever condemned, that they walked by on the other side of the road, when something in Western Europe happened that was totally unacceptable.”