Court rejects Torra’s appeal against order to remove yellow ribbon from government HQ
Catalan president instructed to take down signs deemed partisan
Catalonia’s High Court (TSJC) dismissed on Thursday an appeal from president Quim Torra against the order to remove from the government headquarters’ façade a yellow ribbon in support of jailed and exiled pro-independence leaders.
In the following hours, after the deadline set by the court had already expired, the banner remained in place – subsequently, given the dismissal of Torra’s appeal, on Friday afternoon the court ordered the Catalan Mossos police to remove it “immediately.”
The unionist organization Impulso Ciudadano launched a lawsuit against Torra alleging that the yellow ribbon is a partisan symbol, and therefore shouldn’t be hanging from the government building.
It was the second time that Torra has been ordered to take down symbols deemed political.
On November 18, the Catalan president will face trial for defying previous orders from Spain’s Electoral Authority to remove the yellow ribbon during an election period. If found guilty of disobedience, he could be sacked as president and banned from public office.