Carles Puigdemont

The best leaders don't set timid and selfish goals but instead set bold targets that may be harder to achieve. ”

To me, the European Union says there is a charter that protects you; you have fundamental rights, and they are staying silent when they are violating my fundamental rights. ”

European values, civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of informatio,n and freedom of assembly are being violated by Spain's central government. ”

As president, I have the right to call a referendum based on a law that the Catalan parliament has approved. ”

All we want is to carry out the greatest expression of a free democracy and vote on Catalonia's future. This is not about independence: it is about fundamental civil rights and the universal right of self-determination. ”

They are very brave when they talk about other countries where they have no competencies, but where are they when we citizens need them? Is Europe's solution to Catalans to turn its back? ”

I think, in Spain, they are too used to reaching the limits of democracy and then stepping over them. ”

Catalan citizens are peaceful, European, and open-minded. We want to contribute to better international and European governance. ”

In a mature democracy, what is legal is decided by parliament... Our process is legitimised by parliament and by the ballot box. ”

In 2010, the Spanish constitutional court annulled a large part of the Catalan statute of autonomy negotiated between Catalonia and the previous prime minister, Jose Luis Zapatero. This demolished one of the main agreements achieved during the Spanish transition to democracy - Catalonia's recovery of self-governance. ”