Catalan leader kisses Spanish flag

MADRID: A video of Catalonia’s ousted leader Carles Puigdemont kissing a Spanish flag at the insistence of a man who confronted him over his independence push went viral in Spain yesterday.

In the video reportedly taken during Mr Puigdemont’s visit to Copenhagen earlier this week a young man can be seen approaching Mr Puigdemont as he was having coffee at a shopping centre cafe.

The man thrusts a red and yellow Spanish flag towards Mr Puigdemont and says: “I have a Spanish flag here Puigdemont, that I know you like. Take it and kiss it please.”

A smiling Mr Puigdemont replies that he had “no problem” with the Spanish flag and kisses it twice.

The man then asks “what about independence? This is not a problem?” and warns the former Catalan president that “a Spanish jail is waiting for you”.

Madrid sacked Mr Puigdemont and his entire government after the Catalan parliament declared unilateral independence in late October.

Charged with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds, Mr Puigdemont faces arrest if he returns to Spain over his role in Catalonia’s independence drive.

He shared the video on his Twitter account along with the message: “Some day they will understand that we don’t have any problem with Spain or its flag.”