"Alghero has not betrayed Carles Puigdemont and extradition would be a serious matter"

“There has been no betrayal of the people of Alghero towards Carles Puigdemont. Any sensible person understands this for himself ». Carlo Sechi, 75, former mayor of Alghero and regional councilor (of Sel) for a mandate, has been the city's vanguard in relations with Catalonia for decades: «I have been carrying them on continuously since the 1970s».

The curriculum speaks for him: member of the Catalan University of Estiu, the organization born under and against Francoism that meets annually in Prades, France; director of the Obra cultural, the most representative institution of the Catalan culture of Alghero; exponent of Sardenya y llibertat, the political movement that fights for the self-determination of peoples; he is a member of the presidency council of the national federative committee of linguistic minorities of Italy. Experience leads him to say that “solidarity has come and will come from many directions in Puigdemont. Beyond the most extreme and radical fringes, in Sardinia there is a widespread vocation for self-determination with a rainbow of nuances in all political forces ».

Sure?

"Nobody can accept the arrest of a politician just because he professes an idea that is not shared by the Spanish government."

Who invited him to Alghero?

"The independent public administrators of Sa Corona de Logu".

Could someone have given him the guarantee that there would be no problems?

«For some time newspapers, online sites and TV had announced his presence at the Alghero demonstration: the news was well known. I am convinced that he had obtained the necessary reassurance to face the journey from Belgium to Sardinia ».

Betrayed by Alghero, Barcelona's twin?

"The sister city was waiting for him joyfully, to welcome him and celebrate him, as is normal for it to happen."

How did the community of Alghero react?

“With passion, because the link with Catalonia is strong. There is also a minority devoured only by a morbid curiosity that first of all wants to feel part of a news story of European significance: a bit like those you see in the front row in front of the sheets of cars after a road accident. Of course, it would be nice if citizenship had the same enthusiasm in the face of attempts to stifle the yearning for freedom towards the self-determination of every people ”.

And instead it doesn't happen?

«For the Sardinians, not only for the people of Alghero, it would be enough to follow in the footsteps of Antoni Simon Mossa. Thanks to the relationship with the intellectuals Rafael Sari and Rafael Catardi who sensitized him to the Catalan question, he was close to the latter and to all the peoples who pursued self-determination. From this point of view, the battle in defense of language and culture was inserted, obviously in the background ».

Effects on the city?

"None. Indeed, perhaps it can have positive reflections because someone will approach these issues out of democratic curiosity. It will happen if the people of Alghero and Sardinia know how to weave deeper relationships with Catalonia that are not mediated by the institutions ».

Will the arrest blow up the negotiations between Spain and Catalonia?

“It could be different. There is no conviction that it is right to push hard on the path to independence. In this period of crisis it is more important to produce less conspicuous but concrete results ».

Which?

«Further concessions, perhaps linked to the tax levy, on the Basque model. Or perhaps on the theme of language, with more stringent rules. The negotiation is a must, especially after a disastrous pandemic, with the refugee emergency and the economic emergency at the gates ».

How will the Puigdemont case end?

«The Italian Constitution does not allow extradition for a crime of opinion: it would be a very serious precedent. The only path that Spain can follow is the pardon, to remove it from the role of political persecution, perhaps within a broader agreement. I think the Spanish government itself actually wishes him to be released. Because seeing him come back in handcuffs would be a bad thing to crack. For everyone".