Catalan courts have convicted eight independence activists for sabotaging an academic event on the Spanish language in 2018, in a ruling that opens a new front in the judicial battle over amnesty and fundamental freedoms.

Varied sentences for disrupting Cervantes tribute

Barcelona's criminal court section has ruled against eight of the eighteen activists tried for attempting to boycott an event by Societat Civil Catalana (SCC) held in May 2018 at the Universitat de Barcelona, according to eldiario.es.

The sentences are not uniform. The court has imposed two years in prison on two of the convicted, six months imprisonment on another two and punished the remaining four with fines only. The ten other defendants tried have been acquitted. The original prosecution had sought two-and-a-half years in prison and 6,500 euros in fines for each of the eighteen.

The crime for which they have been convicted is against fundamental freedoms, specifically for coercion and preventing the exercise of rights through intimidation. The prosecution applied the aggravating factor of ideological discrimination to all defendants.

The disrupted event: a Cervantes tribute as a flashpoint

The events date back to spring 2018. Societat Civil Catalana had organised an event at the historic building of the Universitat de Barcelona to pay tribute to Miguel de Cervantes and defend the Spanish language. A group of independence protesters burst into the event with banners and prevented it from continuing.

Unable to guarantee the safety of attendees and faced with the university's refusal to allow entry to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the institution was forced to suspend the event. According to the proceedings, there were no injuries or significant material damage recorded in police or university reports.

Amnesty rejected and legal contradiction

Those prosecuted requested the application of the amnesty approved in 2024, but the judge denied the request with an argument that has sparked criticism: according to the judicial ruling, the SCC event was not independence-related, but against the Spanish language, so it would not fall within the scope of the pardon law.

The defence, represented by the Alerta Solidària collective, has highlighted the paradox: they are denied amnesty on the grounds that the event was unrelated to independence, but simultaneously convicted with the aggravating factor of ideological discrimination. The CDRs have announced they will appeal to the National Court requesting amnesty be applied following endorsement by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

A case at the crossroads of political polarisation

This ruling reflects the judicial complexity surrounding protest actions in recent years in Catalonia. The complaint that originated the proceedings was filed jointly by the prosecution and Societat Civil Catalana, an entity historically positioned against independence.

The conviction maintains tension between the right to protest and the right to freedom of expression and assembly, questions that will continue to be subject to debate as appeals advance through the courts.