Huge Madrid rally wants deposed Catalan leader jailed

MADRID: “Prison for Puigdemont,” shouted thousands of people in central Madrid, gathered under a giant Spanish flag Saturday in anger at Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence under secessionist leader Carles Puigdemont.

As music blared from giant speakers — from British band Coldplay to Spanish singer Manolo Escobar’s “Y viva Espana” (“And long live Spain” in Spanish) — pro-unity protesters banded together on the square.

Unhappy with Catalonia’s secession bid, many also directed anger at Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whom they accuse of having been too soft on the region’s separatist leaders.

“It is a disgrace what happened in Catalonia, and it’s a disgrace what happened after,” said Carlos Fernandez, a 41-year-old mining engineer.

On Friday, the Catalan Parliament declared unilateral independence. Rajoy replied by axing Puigdemont and his executive, dissolving Parliament, and calling snap Dec. 21 regional elections to quash what he termed an “escalation of disobedience.”

“Nothing is going to change in two months,” said Fernandez of Rajoy’s intervention, “it’s just prolonging the problem.”

Sitting on a concrete ledge clutching a large red and yellow national flag, he said he was disappointed at the low pro-unity turnout.