Catalonia plan sparks protests
INDEPENDENCE: OPPOSED BY MANY SPANIARDS
Some called for region’s separatist president Carles Pu-igdemont to be jailed.
Protesters flocked to Barcelona yesterday-wrapped in Spanish flags to rally against plans by separatist leaders to declare Catalonia independent following a banned secession referendum.
Catalans calling themselves a “silent majority” opposed to leaving Spain broke their silence after a week of mounting anxiety over Spain’s worst political crisis in a generation.
Hundreds of people gathered on the city’s Urquinaona square waving red and yellow flags and singing “Viva Espana”.
“We have perhaps been silent too long,” said Alejandro Marcos.
“It seems that the one who yells the most wins the argument. So we have to raise our voices and say loud and clear that we do not want independence.”
Some protesters called for the region’s separatist president Carles Puigdemont to go to jail for holding a vote on independence in defiance of the Spanish government and courts.
“The unity of Spain can’t be voted on or negotiated – it must be defended,” read a sign in the crowd.
Recent polls had indicated that Catalans are split on independence, though leaders said the violence during the referendum turned many against the state authorities.
On the eve of the rally, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy issued a stern warning to Catalan leaders who have said they could declare independence this week.
He did not rule out suspending Catalonia’s regional autonomy – a move that could risk sparking unrest.
“I rule out absolutely nothing that is allowed for under the law,” he said in an interview published in El Pais newspaper.
“The ideal would be not to have to take drastic measures,” he said.
“I would like this threat of a declaration of independence to be withdrawn as quickly as possible.”
Sunday’s rally came exactly one week after the contested vote that has triggered Spain’s worst political crisis in a generation.
On Saturday tens of thousands of demonstrators, many dressed in white, hit the streets of Madrid and other cities across Spain to demand dialogue to end the dispute.
Tensions soared after police cracked down on voters during the banned October 1 independence referendum, prompting separatist leaders to warn they would unilaterally declare independence in days. –