March for unity after Catalan independence move
Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards rallied in Catalonia’s capital Barcelona on Sunday, waving national and European flags and chanting “Viva Espana!” to denounce regional lawmakers’ vote to sever the region from Spain.
Crowds of protesters swarmed, singing and clapping, through the streets in a sea of redand-yellow Spanish flags, brandishing placards reading “De Todos” (It belongs to all of us).
Municipal police said the crowd numbered about 300,000 while organisers said 1.3 million turned out and the government’s representative in Catalonia put the figure at one million.
Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades mounted on Friday when secessionists in the Catalan parliament voted to declare the wealthy northeastern region of some 7.5 million people an independent republic.
The central government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reacted by temporarily stripping the region of its autonomy and declaring the dismissal of secessionist regional president Carles Puigdemont and his executive.
“We are all Catalonia,” proclaimed a massive banner, as marchers chanted “Prison for Puigdemont”.
Meanwhile, the deputy president of the deposed Catalan government lashed out at Madrid, over what he called a coup d’etat.
“The president of the country is and will remain Carles Puigdemont,” Oriol Junqueras, wrote in Catalan newspaper El Punt Avui. Junqueras used the word “country” to refer to Catalonia, and signed off as the region’s “vice president”.
“We cannot recognise the coup d’etat against Catalonia, nor any of the anti-democratic decisions that the PP (Rajoy’s ruling Popular Party) is adopting by remote control from Madrid,” he wrote.
On top of firing Catalonia’s government, Rajoy dissolved its parliament and called December 21 elections for the region. Spanish government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said it would welcome Puigdemont’s participation in the regional elections it has called for December 21.
The immigration minister of Belgium, itself dealing with political tensions between Frenchand Flemish-speaking regions, said it could offer Puigdemont asylum. “It’s not unrealistic, looking at the current situation,” Theo Francken said.