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The Manchester City coach, Josep Guardiola , has asked through a video that the international community "press" so that "Spain sits down to talk" in order to find "political and democratic solutions" to the Catalan "conflict".

In the video, of just over two minutes and in English, promoted by the Tsunami Democràtic platform, which leads the protests against the sentence of the process , Guardiola points out that the "nonviolent struggle" of Catalan independence "will not stop until it end the repression and respect the right to self-determination as has been done in Quebec or Scotland . "

" We demand that the Spanish Government find a political and democratic solution . What we ask is: Spain, sit down and talk. We ask international public opinion and civil society to pressure their governments to intervene in this conflict to find political solutions and democratic, "he stressed.

Therefore, he has called on the international community to "adopt a clear position in favor of a resolution of this conflict based on dialogue and respect," because in his opinion "there is only one way: sit and talk."

The sentence, Guardiola says in the video, "is a direct attack on human rights, including the rights of assembly and demonstration , freedom of expression and a fair trial," which is "unacceptable in 21st century Europe" .

"Spain is living an authoritarian drift under which the anti-terrorism law is used to persecute dissidents and even artists for exercising their freedom of expression, " he denounces.

"Repression as the only answer"

According to Guardiola, " neither the Government of Pedro Sánchez nor any other Spanish Government have been brave enough to face this conflict with dialogue and respect" and, instead, have opted for "repression as the only response."

The independence movement, stands out in its intervention, is "transversal, grassroots, inclusive and with a long history based on the will of self-government of the Catalans " and is not, he adds, "neither xenophobic nor selfish."

Guardiola was meant from the outset as one of the public voices that sympathized with the independence prisoners and, in fact, assumed prominence in one of the sovereign mobilizations prior to the unilateral referendum of 1-O.

In March 2018, the former player and former coach of Barça was even sanctioned with a fine of 20,000 pounds (22,500 euros) for showing a yellow tie in support of prisoners during the Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup games of England .

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