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Catalan school boy taken to Madrid High Court on ‘terrorism’ charge
(Alexia Bos Solé Eurolang - 16-12-04)



Representatives of several Catalan language organisations together with some independentist and nationalist Catalan MPs escorted a 14-year-old teenager accused of ‘terrorism’ from Girona to Madrid yesterday. The boy was accused in November for alleged ‘terrorist’ threats when sending several e-mails to some Spanish companies, as reported on Eurolang, when he asked for their labelling to be in the Catalan language.

At the end of September twenty Spanish policemen descended upon the home of the 14-year-old Catalan boy, who has his own website called "Exèrcit del Fènix" (Phoenix Army) inspired by the Harry Potter children’s books. He had sent three e-mails to some supermarket chains and a milk manufacturer, asking them to re-label their products, and telling them that if they failed to reply before October 1st, he'd bombard them with more messages. The police took his computer and that of his 17 year-old brother.

Yesterday the boy sat before the Audiencia Nacional (Spanish National High Court) in Madrid, after being investigated last month for signing e-mails as “Phoenix Army”.

After a four-hour hearing, the prosecution decided by the afternoon that the Spanish National High Court will uphold the accusation of terrorism. Additionally, the Spanish police said that the contents of the two computers confiscated from the boy last month could constitute an offence, because they contain links to websites with images of the burning of Spanish flags and other anti-Spanish state material. It is illegal in Spain to insult the Spanish flag.

Apart from the hearing which took place yesterday, the boy today faces a ‘psychological and social exam’ requested by the prosecuting authorities, which he will have to pass.

According to the Catalan news agency Vilaweb, the lawyer of the family, Mr. Emilio Colmenero, said that he “does not see any offence or terrorist action" and he thinks that the case will have to be shelved in the end. Both the family and the lawyer think that the judicial action is “disproportionate and absurd”.

The boy has been supported by several Catalan social and political groups, also the city council of Lloret de Mar, the boy’s hometown, has submitted a report in favour of the boy.

In addition, the Catalan organisation ‘Coordinadora d’Associacions per la Llengua Catalana’ (CAL) published a communication yesterday declaring their “support and solidarity with the 'Phoenix Army'.” They point out that it is Catalan law for products to be labelled in Catalan.

After the hearing the boy and his family went to the Spanish Congreso with the MPs of the independentist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), after hearing the decision of the Spanish High Court. They are requesting an official explanation from the Spanish Minister of Justice. (Eurolang © 2004)