The rage in Spain
Protests as gov’t moves on Catalonia
Mass protests broke out Saturday over the Spanish government’s plan to oust the leaders of Catalonia, who have pushed to become an independent nation.
Nearly half a million people marched the streets of Barcelona on Saturday evening, hours after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced the government would invoke a constitutional provision allowing the Madrid government to take over Catalonia’s regional government.
Rajoy said he would remove Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his administration. The central government will also take control of Catalonia’s police force and communications infrastructure, and call for new regional elections.
Puigdemont, who joined protesters waving Catalan flags, said Catalonia would not accept the takeover. He called Rajoy’s plan the worst attack on Catalan institutions since Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
Rajoy’s unprecedented declaration ignited a political crisis in Spain and set the stage for a potentially violent showdown between those for and against Catalan independence.
The Spanish Senate is expected to vote in favor of the takeover Friday, and direct rule could begin as early as Saturday.
Madrid’s announcement comes after Catalonia voted Oct. 1 to break away from Spain. Officials in Madrid viewed the vote as a violation of the country’s constitution, which declares Spain an indivisible nation.
Rajoy said Saturday following an emergency cabinet meeting he was left with no choice but to seize Catalonia and stop the unraveling of the region’s economy.
More than 1,000 companies have moved their legal headquarters to other parts of Spain, fearing detachment from the European Union if Catalonia gains full independence.
Rajoy’s move on Saturday marked the first time under Spanish democratic rule that the government has threatened the independence of one of the country’s 17 autonomous regions. It’s unclear how Rajoy will enforce the rule without military force.
“There are thousands of us ready to resist,” said Marti Estruch of Catalonia’s public diplomacy council. “They cannot put us all in prison.”
Another activist vowed that “walls of people” would prevent Spain from occupying Catalan institutions.
Pepe Beunza, who was jailed under Franco’s dictatorship, said he has been conducting “passive resistance training” in preparation for the takeover, but he fears the conflict could turn violent.
“Violence is a trap into which we cannot afford to fall,” he said.
Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras said Rajoy and his allies had “not just suspended autonomy. They have suspended democracy.”
Iñigo Urkullu, the leader of Spain’s Basque region — which has also fought for independence — described Madrid’s plan as “disproportionate and extreme.”
Catalonia has gone back and forth in its desire for independence for decades. The latest conflict has largely been fueled by a breakdown of communication between Puigdemont and Rajoy.