Committees for the Defense of the Republic

The Committees for the Defence of the Republic (Catalan: Comitès de Defensa de la República), or CDR, previously named Committees for the Defense of the Referendum, are a network of Committees that function on a local, regional and national level in Catalonia. Its initial purpose was to facilitate the Catalan independence referendum. After the referendum, they adopted the new objective to fight for the Catalan Republic, and publicly called for non violent protests and civil disobedience.[1] The Committees for the Defense of the Republic have also made acts of sabotage, blocking railway lines and the Barcelona–El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport.

Committees for the Defence of the Republic
Formation2017
FocusDefend the Catalan Republic through Civil disobedience and Sabotage
Area served
Catalonia (Spain)

The assemblies include members of social and cultural organisations, pro-independence parties and citizens who seek to organise themselves against the repression of the Spanish Government in each town and district.

The CDR was created in September 2017 as voluntary groups founded by a diverse collective of popular associations. Their initial goal was to collaborate with the implementation of the Catalan independence referendum (1-O) which had been suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court. After the referendum, the Committees promoted demonstrations against the Spanish police and organized several actions during the general strike of October 2017.[2][3]

Arrests

On September 23 2019, the Civil Guard arrested 9 members of the CDR in Barcelona. The members had been monitored for more than a year under Operación Judas, and were arrested on terrorism and possession of explosives charges. The charge claimed that the group planned attacks as a result of the Trial of Catalonia independence leaders, and 7 were ultimately charged with belonging to a terrorist group, manufacturing and possessing firearm, and conspiracy to cause criminal damage.[4][5][6]

References
  1. "Los CDR aseguran que solo apuestan por la "desobediencia no violenta"". elperiodico.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  2. "Els comitès de defensa de l'1-O s'articulen a nivell nacional". Ara.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  3. "Convocan una concentración ante el Museo de Lleida contra el traslado de las obras de Sijena". www.efe.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  4. "Operació policial contra els CDR per rebel·lió i terrorisme" (in Catalan). ElNacional.cat. 10 April 2018.
  5. "El juez encarcela a siete CDR y les acusa de formar parte de un nuevo grupo terrorista" (in Spanish). El País. 26 September 2019.
  6. "Dos de los CDR detenidos reconocen la compra y manipulación de sustancias explosivas" (in Spanish). El Periódico. 25 September 2019.
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