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Spain: Thousands protest Catalan independence

  • October 12, 2019

Thousands of people opposed to Catalan independence took to the streets in Spain’s capital Madrid on the country’s national day on Saturday.

The demonstration comes ahead of the announcement of the verdict in the trial of leading Catalan separatists expected early next week.

The 12 defendants, most of them members of the former Catalan government, could face long prison terms if convicted for the 2017 independence bid that resulted a major political crisis. The main charges include rebellion and sedition.

Read more: How fair are the trials of Catalan pro-independence politicians?

The number of participants in Saturday’s rally, some 10,000, was significantly lower than the 65,000 people who took part in a similar demonstration two years ago.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The declaration

    As the world watched, Catalonia’s parliament voted 70 to 10 for the region to declare its independence from Spain. “Our legitimate parliament has taken a very important step. This is the people’s mandate,” Puigdemont said after the decision. Dozens of opposition lawmakers from the Socialist Party, Citizens Party and Popular Party had walked out of the parliament chamber to boycott the vote.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The despair

    Within an hour of the Catalan vote, the Spanish Senate in Madrid passed a bill to trigger Article 155 of the Spanish constitution. The measure will allow the central government to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would sack Catalonia’s government and set new regional elections for December 21.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The dismissal

    European leaders were quick to condemn the independence declaration. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the Union “doesn’t need any more cracks,” while EU Council President Donald Tusk said Madrid “remains our only interlocutor.” Leaders in Germany, France, Italy and the UK voiced their support for Madrid. The US also chimed in, saying “Catalonia is an integral part of Spain.”

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The dispute

    Barcelona and Madrid had been in a standoff since 93 percent of voters opted for Catalan independence in an October 1 referendum marred by police violence. Spain said the poll was illegal and stressed the low voter turnout of 43 percent. It subsequently threatened to suspend the region’s autonomy if Catalan leaders did not stop their drive for independence.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The defiance

    Many had expected tensions to ease on October 26 when Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was expected to call snap elections to bow to a key Spanish government demand. But Puigdemont refused, saying that he did not have enough “guarantees” from Madrid. Instead, he called on the Catalan parliament to decide on how to respond to Spain’s threat to suspend the region’s autonomy.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The dream

    Tens of thousands of pro-independence protesters had taken to the streets of Barcelona ahead of the independence declaration to demand the region’s secession and the release of two leaders of pro-independence organizations, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez. Independence has divided Catalonia. Many who supported continued unity with Spain refused to vote in the October 1 referendum.

  • Catalonia declares independence from Spain

    The delight

    The pro-independence crowds outside the Catalan parliament immediately rejoiced after hearing the independence declaration. Many people were draped in the “Estelada” flag associated with Catalan independence. Some reportedly called for the Spanish flag to be removed from the Catalan government palace as regional lawmakers arrived from the parliament. (Author: Alexander Pearson)

    Author: Alexander Pearson


Meanwhile, activists from the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, the two biggest grassroots pro-independence groups, have called for rallies across the region when the verdicts are announced. There have also been calls for a general strike.

Fernando Sanchez, who leads the main anti-separatist group, Sociedad Civil Catalana, told journalists: “We want to make an appeal for calm and for responsibility.”

In the Spanish capital Madrid, King Felipe VI attended the traditional military parade, accompanied by Pedro Sanchez, prime minister of the outgoing socialist government, just weeks ahead of fresh parliamentary elections.

The leaders of all the main opposition parties also attended the Madrid event ahead of the November 10 elections, as did the presidents of all the Spanish regions — except for those from Catalonia and the Basque Country.

For years now neither region, both of which have strong separatist movements, has attended the event.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Rich ancient heritage

    Catalonia has been settled by the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and the Greeks, who were mainly in the coastal areas of Rosas and Empuries (above). Then came the Romans, who built more settlements and infrastructure. Catalonia remained a part of the Roman Empire until it was conquered by the Visigoths in the fifth century.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Counties and independence

    Catalonia was conquered by Arabs in 711 AD. The Frankish king Charlemagne stopped their advance at Tours on the Loire River and, by 759, the north of Catalonia was once again Christian. In 1137, the counties that made up Catalonia entered an alliance with the Crown of Aragon.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Autonomy and the war of succession

    In the 13th century, the institutions of Catalan self-administration were created under the banner of the Generalitat de Catalunya. After the unification of the Crown of Aragon with that of Castile in 1476, Aragon was largely able to keep its autonomic institutions. However, the Catalan revolt — from 1640 to 1659 — saw parts of Catalonia ceded to present-day France.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Remembrance of defeat

    After the conquest of Barcelona on September 11, 1714, by the Bourbon King Phillip V, Catalan instuitutions were dissolved and self-administration came to an end. Every year, on September 11, Catalans commemorate the end of their right to autonomy.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Federal ideas in wider republic

    After the abdication of King Amadeo I of Spain, the first Spanish Republic was declared in February 1873. It lasted barely a year. The supporters of the Republic were split – one group supporting the idea of a centralized republic, the others wanting a federal system. Pictured here is Francisco Pi i Maragall, a supporter of federalism and one of five presidents of the short-lived republic.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Failed attempt

    Catalonia sought to establish a new state within the Spanish republic, but this only served to exacerbate the differences between republicans, ultimately dividing and weakening them. In 1874, the monarchy and the House of Bourbon (led by King Alfonso XII, pictured here) took the helm.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Catalan Republic

    Between 1923 — with the support of the monarchy, the army and the church — General Primo de Rivera declared a dictatorship. Catalonia became a center of opposition and resistance. After the end of the dictatorship, the politician Francesc Macia (pictured here) successfully pressed for important rights of autonomy for Catalonia.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    The end of freedom

    In the Second Spanish Republic, Catalan lawmakers worked on the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. This was approved by the Spanish parliament in 1932. Francesc Macia was elected president of the Generalitat of Catalonia by the Catalan parliament. However, the victory of Franco at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) put an end to all that.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Loss of liberties

    The Franco regime ruled with an iron rod. Political parties were banned and the Catalan language and culture were surpressed.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    New autonomy by statute

    After the first parliamentary elections that followed the end of the Franco dictatorship, the Generalitat of Catalonia was provisionally restored. Under the democratic Spanish constitution of 1978, Catalonia was given a new Statute of Autonomy just a year later.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    New and different statute

    The new Statute of Autonomy recognized the autonomy of Catalonia and the importance of the Catalan language. In comparison to the 1932 statute, it was enhanced in the fields of culture and education but curtailed when it came to the realm of justice. Pictured here is Jordi Pujol, the long-time head of the government of Catalonia after the dictatorship.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Stronger self-awareness

    A desire for independence has grown stronger in recent years. In 2006, Catalonia was given a new statute that broadened the Catalan government’s powers. However, it lost these after a complaint by the conservative Popular Party to the Constitutional Court of Spain.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    First referendum

    A referendum on independence was already envisaged for November 9, 2014. The first question was “Do you want Catalonia to become a state?” In the case of an affirmative answer, the second question was posed: “Do you want this state to be independent?” However, the Constitutional Court suspended the vote.

  • Catalonia’s independence movement — a brief history

    Clash of the titans

    Since January 2016, Carles Puigdemont has been president of the Catalan government. He proceeded with the separatist course of his predecessor Artur Mas and called the new referendum for October 1, 2017. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed this as unconstitutional.

    Author: Richard Connor


law/rc (AFP, EFE)

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Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/spain-thousands-protest-catalan-independence/a-50808989?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

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