Catalan strike severs road links as secessionist leaders regroup

SPAIN - A general strike called by pro-independence campaigners in Catalonia severed transport links yesterday, as leaders of its secessionist movement sought to regain political momentum after failing to agree a joint ticket to contest an election. Protesters shut down roads, causing huge tailbacks into Barcelona, and some public transport ran minimum services in response to calls for action by two civic groups -whose heads were imprisoned last month on sedition charges -- and a labor union.

People stood across dozens of major highways in the region waving placards and chanting “freedom for political prisoners,” TV and video images showed, while minor scuffles were reported on social media as police attempted to move protesters.

While many smaller stores left their shutters closed, most larger shops and businesses in the region appeared to be open as normal.

An uphill task awaited the political heavyweights of the independence campaign, whose parties jointly ran Catalonia for the last two years until Madrid sacked the region’s government in response to its independence push.

Deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s centerright PDeCAT and the leftist ERC of former regional vice president Oriol Junqueras had until midnight on Tuesday to agree a new pact, but they failed to meet that deadline, meaning they will contest the Dec. 21 vote as separate parties.

The central government in Madrid called the election last month after assuming control of Catalonia following its parliament’s unilateral independence declaration. Puigdemont is in self-imposed exile in Belgium, while Junqueras is in custody on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.

(Reuters.com/ Photo: Reuters.com)