In response to recent events by the Spanish Government to interfere with the upcoming independence referendum scheduled in Catalonia for October 1, 2017, the California Calexit Campaign released the following statement:

“Spain as a member of the United Nations and signatory to the United Nations Charter must respect the right of all peoples to self-determination, including the people of Catalonia who have lived under its rule since 1714. The people of Catalonia have every right to determine their political future through the democratic process. The California Calexit Campaign urges the Spanish Government to immediately withdraw armed police forces interfering with the democratic process in Catalonia, and allow a fair and honest referendum to proceed as scheduled. We further urge the Spanish Government to relinquish control of websites related to the planned referendum which have recently been seized under a judicial warrant and are now under Spanish administration. The right of people to free and unfettered information is a critical component of fair, honest, and democratic voting process that must be respected.”

“In California, we are watching Catalonia with great anticipation and deriving from them great inspiration as we, too, aspire to one day hold a fair and honest independence referendum to determine the political future of California. We hope that the October 1 referendum in Catalonia proceeds as planned, and is conducted freely, fairly, and in accordance with internationally-accepted democratic norms, and that the results of the referendum be accepted by the Spanish Government, the European Union, and the greater international community.”