Catalan leader turns himself in as general strike hits Barcelona
● Belgian court frees Puigdemont on bail after new Spanish warrant
Catalonia and its riot-swept regional capital Barcelona have been paralysed by a mix of strikes and marches as it faced its fifth day of protests over the conviction of independence leaders.
Spain’s central authorities said 57 flights into and out of the region had been cancelled due to a general strike called by independence-supporting unions.
Tens of thousands of flagwaving demonstrators demanding Catalonia’s independence and the release from prison of their leaders flooded Barcelona’s city centre.
The protesters have poured into the city after some of them walked for three days in “freedom marches” from towns across the region.
They joined students and workers who also took to the streets during a general strike yesterday.
Protesters closed off the border with France across the Pyrenees and burned tyres and blocked dozens of roads.
Commuter and long-distance train services were reduced significantly, and many shops and factories did not open for business.
Antoni Gaudi’s modernist Sagrada Familia, a tourist magnet in central Barcelona, closed its doors due to a protest blocking the access to the basilica.
Farmers in tractors joined in some of the marches organised by the grassroots pro-independence ANC and Omnium groups.
The separatists’ show of strength has been overwhelmingly peaceful, capping five days of protests that have been unusually violent.
There were violent clashes with police in cities across the region late on Thursday, for the fourth night in a row. In the capital, far-right antiindependence activists tried to storm a rival protest atten ded by thousands.
Health authorities in the region say 42 people were injured on Thursday night, most of them in the capital, and regional police arrested 16 protesters, sending eight to jail, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.
The caretaker interior minister, Fernando Grande-marlaska, said authorities are tracking “minority groups that are provoking incidents in very specific places”, vowing to punish the radicals.
More than 200 people have been arrested since separatist sentiment swelled again this week following the imprisonment of nine separatist politicians and activists who led a push for independence that triggered Spain’s deepest political crisis in decades.
Their former leader, Carles Puigdemont, yesterday turned himself in to Belgian authorities after Spain issued a new warrant for his arrest. The warrant comes days after a Spanish court passed lengthy jail sentences on nine of his former colleagues.
Spain wants Puigdemont to return to face charges of sedition and misuse of public funds after previously failing to secure his extradition from Germany and Belgium on suspicion of rebellion.
He fled to Brussels in late 2017 following the failed attempt to establish a Catalan republic, and has since campaigned for Catalan independence from there.
In May, he was elected as a MEP but was not sworn in because Spain’s electoral board said he did not qualify for the seat because he had failed to show up in Madrid to swear to uphold Spain’s constitution.
The Belgian judge released him on bail while the case is being examined .
The Spanish football federation has postponed next week’s highly anticipated game between Barcelona and Real Madrid due to a fear of more street violence in Catalonia.
Separatist groups have called for supporters to rally in Barcelona on 26 October, the planned date of the match.
The clubs have until Monday to decide on another date for the game.