The rector of the URV, Josep Anton Ferré, has issued a statement in response to yesterday’s events

The Universitat Rovira i Virgili has suspended all activity this Tuesday, 3 October, thus joining the call for a general strike from numerous Catalan organizations and institutions to defend democracy and individual and collective rights, and as an expression of their rejection of the police violence that took place on Sunday during the referèndum.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 3 October, the URV will be closed and the faculties and schools have been asked to reschedule all academic activities.

The rector of the URV, Josep Anton Ferré, has issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s events:

In defence of democracy

Last June the URV Senate made a statement in favour of Catalonia being able to decide its own future in a referendum for self-determination. Unfortunately, yesterday we witnessed a series of Set of actions of unjustifiable violence designed to repress the referendum. In these circumstances, we wish to reiterate, clearly and forcefully, that democracy can only be constructed by voting and that the result of a vote in no way undermines democracy but makes it stronger, more inclusive and more durable. A government that uses violence against members of the general public when they are voting is a government that has lost its legitimacy.

We call on all the members of the university community to stay calm, and to react to all opinions and political options in the process of self-determination as they have been doing up to now in peace and with respect. However, we insist on dialogue and negotiation as the way for solving problems, and we reiterate or unconditional commitment to the defence of individual and collective liberty, and, in short, to the defence of democracy.

Josep Anton Ferré

Rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili