It took the European Commission more than a day to respond Sunday’s violence in Catalonia, in which a police crackdown on the voters left some 900 people injured.
“We call on all relevant players to now move very swiftly from confrontation to dialogue,” the European Commission said in a statement on Monday.
“Violence can never be an instrument in politics,” it said, adding that it is incumbent on Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy “to manage this difficult process in full respect of the Spanish Constitution and of the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined therein.”
More 890 people suffered injuries from police brutality during the vote for Catalonoian independence from Spain, according to the regional government. Madrid does not recognize the referendum and justifies the police actions, saying that they “performed their duty” in Catalonia.
The federal law enforcement used rubber bullets and batons against the citizens during multiple violent attacks.
Despite multiple pieces of footage featuring the brutal actions, no official statement has been made by any of the European Union officials as of Monday morning.
Some EU Parliament parties have already decried the violence during the Catalonian referendum. The Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left wants to raise the issue during the Monday meeting, calling on the body to protect the rights of Catalans.
The president of the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament, Gabi Zimmer, said that the EU cannot ignore “the shocking scenes” and tolerate “attacks on democracy.”
Greens in the European Parliament also strongly condemned the attacks on peaceful voters.