Penya Blaugrana London

Penya Blaugrana London would like to clarify the misleading headline of the article published in the “El Mundo” Newspaper on 18th May 2017:

http://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2017/05/18/5916d6a222601dbc448b46e6.html

FC Barcelona recently adhered to the national pact for the referendum, which supports the "right to decide" of the Catalan people in a democratic referendum. "El Mundo" approached Penya Blaugrana London and other penyes to enquire about our views on this.

The headline of the article incorrectly implies that Penya Blaugrana London is against the right of the Catalan people to vote in a referendum. This headline sadly brings to light the misleading and manipulatory tactics of some newspapers to score cheap political points in the Catalan debate.

The position of Penya Blaugrana London is that while we respect all opinions, we do not have an official position on this debate.  However, a “no-position” in no way constitutes a pronunciation against the referendum, as the article implies. It can only be understood as the fact that members of Penya Blaugrana London have a variety of views on the subject of Catalan self-determination, and we believe these political views are better discussed outside of the penya.

In light of this article, we also would like to make clear that Penya Blaugrana London profoundly respects all positions in the Catalan debate, including FC Barcelona adherence to the national pact, and the right of Catalans to decide. Moreover, while we have no official position on the debate, we are firm believers in democratic values and therefore we hope this situation will be resolved soon according to the democratic standards of our society.