This petition in English, Spanish and Catalan, asks the Spanish and Catalan governments for de-escalation and constructive dialogue, to explore in good faith solutions to the existing political conflict.

Initially signed by 250 international scholars and also by secessionist and non-secessionist Catalans and Spaniards on October 23, the complete list of signatories is being updated daily.

This petition was written in October, in the middle of a worrying escalation in the conflict, when violent riots emerged in Barcelona and other towns of Catalonia, alongside the peaceful demonstrations, as a reaction to the Spanish Supreme Court Judgment that sentenced some Catalan leaders to sentences of 9 to 13 years of prison. The signatories of this petition showed their concern at these riots as well as the growing frustration of many people in Catalonia and the rest of Spain who saw that the only strategy implemented by the Spanish government to solve this political conflict was basically its judicialization. The riots have fortunately decreased or vanished, even if mobilizations and demonstrations continue week after week. But the results of the last elections on November 10, and the pre-agreement between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Pablo Iglesias, leader of the left-wing part Unidas Podemos, make this public petition for negotiation more urgent and necessary than ever. It is time for talk and negotiation to take a turn.

Among the first 250 signatories, we find Catalan, Spanish and International scholars: the linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky (MIT); the epidemiologists Richard Wilkinson (UCL) and Kate Pickett (York Univ.); sociologists such as Anthony Giddens (LSE), Manuel Castells (Berkeley and Catalan Open University), Donatella della Porta (EUI), and Boaventura de Sousa Santos (Wisconsin, Warwick and Coïmbra Univ.); philosophers including Philip Pettit (Princeton), Gianni Vattimo (Torino), Slavoj Zizek (Birkbeck College), Charles Taylor (McGill), Thomas Scanlon (Harvard), Jeff McMahan (Oxford), Cécile Laborde (Oxford), Philippe Van Parijs (Oxford and UCLouvain), Dale Jamieson (NYU), Daniel Weinstock (McGill), Daniel Innerarity (UPV and Globernance), and Jaume Casals (Rector of Pompeu Fabra University); political scientists such as Jane Mansbridge (Harvard), Beth Noveck (The GovLab-NYU), Jan Zielonka (Oxford), Michael Keating (Aberdeen), Alain-G. Gagnon (Royal Society of Canada), and Stephen Macedo (Princeton); lawyers such as Rodolfo Arango (Justice of the Special Court for Peace in Colombia), R. Antony Duff (Stirling University), Andreas Follesdal (Pluricourts, University of Oslo), Jeff King (UCL and Legal Adviser of the UK House of Lords Constitution Committee, John Tasioulas (Director of the Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Oxford), Josep Joan Moreso (former Rector of UPF), Pedro Salazar (Director of the Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas at UNAM, Mexico) and Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order); economists including Andreu Mas Colell (former Minister of Economy of the government of Catalonia, Pompeu Fabra University and BIST), and Jaume Lanaspa (La Caixa Foundation); biologists such as Jaume Bertranpetit (UPF) and Arcadi Navarro (UPF, Director of Beta Foundation and former Secretary General of Universities at the Government of Catalonia; journalists including Francesc-Marc Álvaro, Jordi Amat, Carles Francino, Iñaki Gabilondo, Guillem Martínez and Antoni Puigverd; and the former Mayor of Madrid Manuela Carmena, among many others.

This initiative was originally promoted by Joan Vergés Gifra (philosopher, University of Girona ) and José Luis Martí (legal and political philosopher, Pompeu Fabra University).

PUBLIC PETITION IN FAVOR OF POLITICAL NEGOTIATION ON CATALONIA

The SIGNATORIES, people academics and cultural figures, OBSERVE that:

1) Since October 14th, when the Spanish Supreme Court issued the Ruling 459/2019 on the Catalan secessionist leaders, the political situation in Catalonia has deteriorated in a worrying way. For the first time, since the beginning of the so-called Catalan “sovereigntist process” in 2010, there have been riots in the streets of the main Catalan cities and confrontation with the police. Today (Wednesday October 23th), we can count more than 200 people who have been arrested by the police, and around 600 people have been injured. In addition, the normal functioning of the civil society, and specially the education sector, has been seriously altered.

2) After the Ruling, and in order to address the riots in the streets, the Catalan Government repeatedly asked the Spanish executive to open a negotiation in order to settle the conflict. Until now, this petition has not been answered.

Giving these circumstances, we cannot remain indifferent to these developments in Catalonia. Thus,

WE ASK:

1) For all parties involved in this conflict, from one side and the other, to make an effort to de-escalate social tension. We profoundly deplore the violent actions we have witnessed these last days in Catalonia. This spiral of violence must stop.

2) For the strategy of judicializing an inherently political conflict to be avoided.

3) For the governments of Catalonia and Spain to start a round of negotiations in order to explore and agree on some initiatives that help to find a political solution to this conflict. These negotiations should be undertaken in good faith and seek a reasonable solution that may minimally satisfy the interests of all parties involved.

PETICIÓN PÚBLICA EN FAVOR DE UNA NEGOCIACIÓN POLÍTICA SOBRE CATALUÑA

LOS FIRMANTES, personas principalmente del mundo de la cultura y del ámbito académico,

CONSTATAMOS QUE:

1) Desde que el lunes 14 de octubre el Tribunal Supremo publicó la sentencia núm. 459/2019 contra los líderes independentistas catalanes, la situación política en Cataluña se ha agravado de una manera preocupante. Por primera vez desde el inicio del “procés soberanista” en el año 2010, se han producido altercados y enfrentamientos con la policía en las calles de las principales ciudades catalanas. A día de hoy (miércoles 23 de octubre), más de 200 personas han sido detenidas por la policía y casi 600 más han resultado heridas, algunas de las cuales de gravedad. Por otro lado, se ha visto alterado considerablemente el funcionamiento normal de la sociedad civil, con especial incidencia en la comunidad educativa.

2) Tras la sentencia y ante los graves altercados en las calles de Cataluña, el gobierno autonómico catalán ha solicitado reiteradamente establecer una negociación con el gobierno español a fin de abordar el “conflicto”. Hasta ahora tal petición no ha sido atendida.

Ante dichas circunstancias, no podemos quedarnos de brazos cruzados con indiferencia ante lo que está sucediendo en Cataluña. Por ello,

PEDIMOS QUE:

1) Todos los actores implicados en el conflicto, de un lado y del otro, hagan un esfuerzo para desescalar la tensión social. Deploramos profundamente las acciones violentas que se han visto estos últimos días en Cataluña. Es preciso detener cuanto antes la espiral de violencia.

2) Se abandone la estrategia de judicializar un conflicto de clara naturaleza política.

3) Los gobiernos catalán y español acuerden una ronda de negociaciones a fin de estudiar y pactar medidas que ayuden a encarrilar una salida política al problema. Estas negociaciones deberían llevarse a cabo con buena fe y deberían buscar una solución razonable que pueda satisfacer mínimamente los intereses de cada una de las partes.

PETICIÓ PÚBLICA A FAVOR D’UNA NEGOCIACIÓ POLÍTICA SOBRE CATALUNYA

ELS SOTASIGNANTS, persones principalment del món de la cultura i de l’àmbit acadèmic,

CONSTATEM QUE:

1) Des que el dilluns 14 d’octubre el Tribunal Suprem va fer pública la sentència núm. 459/2019 contra els líders independentistes catalans, la situació política a Catalunya s’ha agreujat d’una manera preocupant. Per primera vegada des de l’inici del “procés sobiranista” l’any 2010, als carrers de les principals ciutats catalanes hi ha hagut aldarulls i enfrontaments amb la policia. A dia d’avui (dimecres 23 d’octubre), més de 200 persones han estat detingudes per la policia i gairebé 600 persones més han resultat ferides, algunes d’elles greument. D’altra banda, el normal funcionament de la societat civil, amb una especial incidència en la comunitat l’educativa, s’ha vist molt alterat.

2) Després de la sentència i davant dels aldarulls als carrers de Catalunya, el govern autonòmic català ha demanat reiteradament establir una negociació amb el govern espanyol per tal d’abordar el “conflicte”. Fins ara les peticions no han estat ateses.

Davant d’aquestes circumstàncies, no podem restar indiferents davant el que està succeint a Catalunya. Per això,

DEMANEM QUE:

1) Tots els actors implicats en el conflicte, d’un costat i de l’altre, facin un esforç per tal de desescalar la tensió social. Deplorem profundament les accions violentes que hem vist aquests últims dies a Catalunya. Cal aturar de seguida l’espiral de violència.

2) S’abandoni l’estratègia de judicialitzar un conflicte de naturalesa política.

3) Els governs català i espanyol acordin una ronda de negociacions per tal d’estudiar i pactar mesures que ajudin a encarrilar una sortida política al problema. Aquestes negociacions haurien de fer- se de bona fe i haurien de cercar una solució raonable que pugui satisfer mínimament els interessos de cadascuna de les parts.

Reports on the petition in Spanish and Catalan media:

https://elpais.com/politica/2019/11/14/actualidad/1573734595_701942.html

https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20191114/471594019371/conflicto-catalunya-proces-manifiesto.html

https://www.huffingtonpost.es/entry/carmena-gabilondo-ramoneda-400-intelectuales-piden-en-un-manifiesto-una-negociacion-politica-sobre-cataluna_es_5dcea41ae4b0294748159fe1

https://ctxt.es/es/20191113/Firmas/29535/sentencia-del-proces-negociacion-politica-manifiesto-chomsky-catalunya.htm

https://www.eldiario.es/catalunya/Gabilondo-Chomsky-Carmena-Innenarity-Catalunya_0_963453780.html

https://www.ara.cat/politica/manifest-negociacio-catalunya-espanya_0_2343965642.html

https://www.elnacional.cat/en/news/400-international-signatories-dialogue-catalonia_441912_102.html

https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4054643/0/manifiesto-negociacion-gobierno-cataluna/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=smm&utm_campaign=noticias

https://www.heraldo.es/noticias/nacional/2019/11/15/400-intelectuales-piden-manifiesto-negociacion-politica-cataluna-1344143.html