A CATALAN MP has been suspended for six months after displaying pro-independence yellow ribbons in his office.
Pau Juvillà, a member of the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), was found guilty of disobedience by the electoral board over refusing to remove the ribbons from his council office in Lleida.
The ongoing ribbon row has previously resulted in then Catalan president Quim Torra, who was preceded by exiled former president Carles Puigdemont, being removed from office for refusing to take down pro-independence symbols and banners from the seat of the Catalan Government – Palau de la Generalitat.
A High Court trial in December 2021 resulted in Juvillà’s suspension from office and a fine of €1080 for refusing to take down the symbols during the 2019 council elections.
“We decided collectively in assembly not to remove the yellow ribbons. It directly injured our ideological freedom”, Juvillà told the court.
The CUP is a pro-independence party and its representatives in Lleida received three requests to remove the yellow ribbons from display.
The yellow ribbons are a symbol of support for those imprisoned and in exile due to the repression of the independence movement.
Juvillà pointed out that the logo for the CUP contains the Catalan pro-independence star, making it impossible for the party to remove all symbols.
The case was launched after Ciudadanos, the centre-right pro-unionist party, complained about the partisan symbols to the Electoral Board.
Pro-independence politicians in Catalonia have previously faced prosecution for public displays of nationalism.
The High Court of Justice of Catalonia sentenced Torra to 18 months disqualification from public office and a further €30,000 fine for disobeying the Central Electoral Board.
Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the ruling in December 2019 and Torra’s presidency was handed to Pere Aragonès, vice-president.
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