Catalan leader faces arrest as he calls for civil disobedience

Far-Left promises to boycott Madrid’s snap Dec 21 poll despite backing independence

CARLES PUIGDEMONT, the Catalan leader who has been ousted by the Spanish government, faces imminent arrest after he continued to defy Madrid by standing by the declaration of independence he led in Catalonia’s parliament on Friday.

Mr Puigdemont could face more than 30 years in prison and sources from the Spanish public prosecutor’s office said they would demand that he be remanded in custody as soon as he is arrested. Spain’s prosecution service was already preparing accusations of rebellion and misuse of public funds against Mr Puigdemont for going ahead with an illegal referendum on independence for Catalonia, which was held on Oct 1 amid scenes of police violence against hundreds of voters.

Friday’s declaration of independence made Mr Puigdemont’s arrest inevitable, possibly along with his fellow government members and Teresa Forcadell, the speaker of the house, for permitting the vote to go ahead.

In a televised address yesterday afternoon, hours after he was ousted, Mr Puigdemont upped the stakes even more by asking Catalans “to defend our conquests” through the use of mass civil disobedience.

CATALONIA’S rebel leader last night vowed to continue working towards independence.

Carles Puigdemont, leader of the Catalan government, declared to “continue working to fulfil” their “democratic mandates”. It came as Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, sacked the Catalan government as part of emergency measures following the region’s declaration of independence and called for a new regional election.

It is the first time that Mr Rajoy has played any direct cards in the confrontation as opposed to relying on the courts and police to rein in the breakaway region’s leaders.

His cabinet agreed on Friday to use special powers granted by Spain’s senate to remove Mr Puigdemont and all of his ministers from their positions. The move came into effect in the early hours yesterday, effectively undoing the declaration of a republic that had lasted only half a day.

In all, at least 150 officials and their appointed aides were swept out of a job by the measures, including the closure of Diplocat, Catalonia’s network of foreign “ambassadors” that has long raised hackles in Madrid.

Juan Ignacio Zoido, Spain’s interior minister now in charge of security in Catalonia, moved to replace Josep Lluís Trapero as chief of the regional police.

The reason given for appointing Ferran López as head of the Mossos d’Esquadra force was Major Trapero’s “legal situation”, given that the former police chief is one step away from being charged with sedition for his role in allegedly allowing the illegal Oct 1 referendum to go ahead.

The morning after the declaration of independence, confusion reigned in Barcelona as to who was in power.

“The question is who’s in charge now?” said Manolo, who did not wish to give his surname. “They’ve fired the president and now they’re telling us to hold elections.” “How can we have elections because Madrid orders them?” wondered 46-year-old Mireia Garcia.

Catalonia’s pro-independence parties have to decide quickly whether and how they will take part in the snap ballot called for Dec 21 by Mr Rajoy, exercising his special prerogative under emergency constitutional powers to dissolve Catalonia’s parliament.

The far-Left CUP party has already said it will boycott the elections as it no longer recognises Madrid’s authority.

“We will have a massive rebel paella,” said Mareia Boya, a CUP parliamentarian, in a jokey reference to the elections being called for a Thursday, traditional paella day, instead of the usual Sunday.

The possibility of a boycott by proindependence parties was seen as real enough by Artur Mas, the former Catalonian leader, who this week said it would be “lethal” to the sovereignty movement.

Seemingly exhausted by weeks of decision making over whether and how to proclaim independence, Mr Puigdemont’s statement expressed determination but no details on what the ousted Catalan government plans to do. “Our will is to continue working to fulfil our democratic mandates,” he said.

Despite being at risk of arrest for rebellion, Mr Puigdemont cut a relaxed figure yesterday when he was caught by the cameras of La Sexta television channel enjoying a meal and a drink in a restaurant in his native Girona.

Josep Rull, one other member of the axed Catalan government, remained defiant. Announcing on Twitter that his territory and sustainability department had approved contracts to improve Catalonia’s rail network worth €9.5million (£8.4million), Mr Rull ended the message by saying: “We continue.”

In Madrid thousands massed under Colón square’s massive Spanish flag to demand that Catalonia’s rebellion be put to an end. “Prison for Puigdemont”, demonstrators shouted.

Jorge Maran, a 38-year-old engineer, said: “In the end, this is going to come to nothing. The Catalans aren’t serious, and we’re not serious, because they’re not really getting independence, and we’re not going to put them in prison for what they’re doing.”