Dear colleagues from Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, M. Terricabras and M. Maragall:

Since the main statements in the letter you have sent us all do not match reality and some of our European colleagues may not be aware of that, I believe it would be irresponsible not to make some clarifications:

 1. Europe is democracy because it is Rule of Law. Should a Government not comply with its laws or Constitution, democracy would vanish. Thus was the case in Italy and Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. The Catalan nationalist Government has illegally called a referendum. Said call has been rejected by the Spanish Parliament, the Spanish Government, and has been suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

 2. To defend democracy in Europe is to prevent this illegal consultation in Spain from taking place, for it deprives Spanish citizens from the right to decide as a whole about the future of their country: sovereignty resides not in some of them, but in all.

3. Catalonia has never been a European nation: it was part of the Crown of Aragón, with territories in Catalonia, Valencia and Aragón. Catalonia has always been part of Spain: to say that it was conquered by the use of force is the result of a nationalist delusion that distorts historical facts.

4. Those Catalans rejecting both independence and the referendum are suffering intimidation and under pressure, being left aside from the institutions, schools or the public media, all controlled by nationalists. The last episode has been a door-to-door "poll" where citizens are asked to answer questions that require their ideological affinity. And it is untrue that 80% catalans want the referendum: as many surveys reflect, only some 23% do.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further clarification.

Best regards,

Beatriz Becerra