[Chapter-delegates] FYI - ISOC statement about on Internet blocking measures in Catalonia, Spain

[Evan Leibovitch]

*Disclaimer; I am a white male Canadian with no family or business affairs
in Catalonia or the rest of Spain. I have experienced first-hand separation
referenda in my own country but make no comment on the merits of Catalonian
independence or even the right to separate. If these characteristics cause
one to discount my opinion, that is your prerogative. I speak for nobody
but myself.*

Personally I see this as two very distinct issues being mixed together with
awful results.

   - The legality of this (or any) referendum vote and the obligation of
   any public body to recognize its results

   - The rights of the population of Catalonia to express an opinion
   whether or not it wishes to separate

Spanish courts have ruled that the vote is not part of a legal separation
process. I have no opinion on that but accept its judgment. Fine, this
means that the vote being proposed is not authoritative or binding on any
government and legally can be nothing more than a (very comprehensive and
expensive) advisory survey.

What I can neither understand nor accept as legitimate is the so-called
illegality of even holding this non-binding advisory survey. Declaring the
mere collection of opinion to be illegal crosses the line very clearly from
structure and constitution to the right of people to express themselves.The
vote is not one to express hate, racism or violence and as such should be
protected as a form of free speech. The mere expression of dissatisfaction
with constitutional structure should not be a criminal act, to make it so
is an artifact of repressive regimes.

Furthermore -- and this is the relevance to ISOC -- state action against
websites and puntCAT represents a politically-justified assault on peoples'
ability to express opinions on where and how to even arrange this
non-binding advisory survey. The need for the Spanish government to silence
the mere operation of the survey indicates -- to this distant and
dispassionate observer -- extreme fear of the result, not the reaction of a
democratic society.

Just my opinions. I welcome facts and alternative views and remain open to
change my mind.

-- 
Evan Leibovitch
Toronto, Canada

Em: evan at telly dot org
Sk: evanleibovitch
Tw: el56
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/private/chapter-delegates/attachments/20170927/415f482c/attachment.htm>