INTL Clashes erupt in Barcelona as Catalans keep up pressure for split from Spain

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...p-pressure-for-split-from-spain-idUSKBN1WU2EP

Joan Faus

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Barcelona and some clashed with police on Tuesday in a second day of protests over the jailing of nine Catalan separatists by the supreme court for their role in a failed 2017 secession bid.

Pro-independence leaders have vowed to keep pushing for a new referendum on secession, saying Monday’s prison sentences strengthened the movement.

Some Barcelona protesters threw cans and flares at riot police, setting fire to cardboard and other trash in some places. They also tried to kick down security barriers set up around the Spanish government headquarters in the city center.

Police charged the demonstrators with batons, after removing protesters blocking motorways and a train station in the region.

Elsewhere, protesters lit candles and chanted “Freedom for political prisoners” in a rally organized by Omnium Cultural organization, whose chairman Jordi Cuixart was convicted on Monday.

Pro-independence labor union confederation IAC announced a general strike in Catalonia on Friday against labor laws which unions say infringe workers’ rights.



Oriol Junqueras was given the longest sentence, of 13 years, for his role in organizing the 2017 referendum, which was ruled illegal. He told Reuters in his first interview after the sentence that it would only galvanize the independence movement.

“We’re not going to stop thinking what we think, ideals can’t be derailed by (jail) sentences,” he said, saying that a new plebiscite was “inevitable”.

The head of the regional government, Quim Torra, defended the mass protests over sentencing he described as unacceptable.

“A new stage begins where we take the initiative and put the implementation of the right to self-determination back in the center” of our proposals, Torra said, urging Madrid to pay heed and start talks to that effect.

Demonstrators had blocked railways on Monday and thousands descended on Barcelona’s international airport, where some clashed with police. An airport spokesman said 110 flights were canceled on Monday and a 45 more were canceled on Tuesday.

All the defendants were acquitted of the gravest charge, rebellion, but the length of the prison terms - which Junqueras said they planned to appeal in a European court - prompted anger in Catalonia.


Two years after the debacle of the first plebiscite, Catalonia’s independence drive still dominates much of Spain’s fractured political debate, and will likely color a national election on Nov. 10, Spain’s fourth in four years.

Acting foreign minister Josep Borrell said of the issue: “Yesterday, today and tomorrow, it remains a political problem that has to be solved.” He called for dialogue within the framework of the constitution.

GREATER AUTONOMY?
But Borrell said the independence movement had ignored those in Catalonia who were not in favor of breaking away from Spain, saying: “This is a totalitarian attitude.” Separatists have repeatedly rejected such comments.

A dialogue could focus on greater autonomy for Catalonia, possibly within a more federal plurinational framework in Spain, said Santi Vila, one of three sentenced leaders who were not sent to prison.

A known critic of the secessionist agenda who had resigned as Catalan government business counselor just before the independence declaration, Vila called for a new election in the region, something regional government head Torra opposes.

“It looks reasonable that when two governments have such a communication problem ... it’s important to ask citizens if the way being taken is correct or not,” said Vila, 46. While he also supports a referendum, he says it should not be about full independence but self-government powers.

Slideshow (34 Images)
Spain’s main parties have consistently refused to hold an independence referendum in Catalonia, although the acting Socialist government says it is open to dialogue on other issues.

Diana Riba, wife of convicted leader Raul Romeva, told Reuters the independence drive would prevail over time.

“This is a very long process but we will see results as we did with the feminist movement, how they grew until becoming massive and achieving the rights that they were seeking,” she said, calling for “everyone to take to the streets”.

Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo, Paola Luelmo, Madrid newsroom, writing by Andrei Khalip; editing by Ingrid Melander and Philippa Fletcher

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.apnews.com/4f40dee005924aab99670da40122309e

AP Explains: A look at the verdict in Spain separatist trial
By JOSEPH WILSON
yesterday


BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A dozen Catalan politicians and activists have been convicted on charges of sedition, misuse of public funds and disobedience for their role in an illegal and failed secession attempt for the northeastern region of Spain in 2017.

Former regional vice president Oriol Junqueras received the heaviest sentence of 13 years in prison for sedition and misuse of public funds. Eight more, including former members of the Catalan Cabinet, the ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament and two leaders of separatist grassroots groups received sentences ranging from nine to 12 years. Three were fined but won’t go to prison.

The trial is considered the most important for the country since democracy was restored following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975. The verdict’s political and social repercussions promise to be profound and long-lasting.

__

WHAT WAS THE TRIAL ABOUT?

In October 2017, the separatist leaders of northeastern Catalonia tried to break the region away from the rest of Spain and create a new European state by declaring independence.

The attempt failed when it received no international recognition and Spain’s government intervened and fired the regional government.

The separatist leaders convicted on Monday were arrested while other associates fled the country.

__

THE TRIAL

The trial of the dozen leaders who remained in Spain featured more than 500 witnesses, including former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and 50 nationally televised hearings.

At the heart of the case was the Oct. 1, 2017 referendum that the Catalan government pushed to hold even after it was ordered not to by Spain’s highest court since it was unconstitutional. Thousands of additional police sent to the region clashed with voters in a day that separatists have vowed never to forget. Most Catalans who don’t want to sever centuries-old ties with the rest of Spain stayed home, and the “Yes” vote won. The Catalan Parliament declared independence on Oct. 27, setting off the worst political crisis in Spain in decades.

Prosecutors argued that the leaders of the secession drive violated the Spanish Constitution and threatened the nation’s territorial integrity. The defense argued that the leaders of the secessionist movement were carrying out the will of roughly half of the 7.5 million residents of Catalonia who want to go their own way.

__

SOCIAL IMPACT

The jailed leaders have become a powerful symbol for separatists, who saw their pre-trial jailing for nearly two years as unfair. Many sympathizers wear yellow ribbons pinned to their clothes as a sign of protest.

Catalan separatists for several years have held largely peaceful rallies that can reach several hundreds of thousands of people, but recently the most radical activists have disrupted traffic, trains and clashed with police. Seven separatists are being investigated following their arrest in September on suspicion they were making explosives.

Separatists will most certainly try to use the verdict as another rallying point for their cause. Protests erupted across the region after the verdict was released.

The roughly one half of Catalonia’s residents who support unity with Spain often complain that the secession question has monopolized politics and caused friction between families and friends.

__

POLITICAL IMPACT

Hard-line secessionists like current Catalan regional president Quim Torra have said that the social uproar he wants to stoke after the verdict could create a second opportunity to attempt a break with Spain.

More moderate separatists see that as far-fetched and argue for more realistic action, such as calling an early regional election in Catalonia to channel expected separatist anger into more votes for their parties.

But with its most charismatic leaders behind bars or fugitives abroad, the separatist movement is going through its most difficult stage since it revved up at the start of the decade. Its two main political parties disagree on what to do next, and the grassroots organizations that have driven the movement have begun criticizing the lack of action by their politicians.

The verdict also comes during the buildup to a second Spanish national election this year. On Nov. 10, Spaniards will go back to the polls and the Catalan question will be one of the top issues.

Given the fragmentation of the national parliament, the Catalan separatist parties could very easily hold the key to forming a new government for Spain.

APPEALS AND PARDONS

The verdict can’t be appealed. The defense, however, can bring a violation of basic rights complaint to Spain’s Constitutional Court, and from there the case could be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

Spain’s government can also issue pardons. A pardon needs to be requested formally after a conviction and by showing repentance. Some of the convicted leaders said they won’t ask for one. Any prime minister who granted one would be applauded by many Catalans, but also slammed by political rivals across Spain.

__

PUIGDEMONT NEXT?

While Junqueras and the others on trial stayed to face Spanish justice two years ago, several cohorts fled to other European countries.

That includes ex-Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who successfully fought extradition from Germany and Belgium and has taken up residence in Waterloo.

A Spanish judge issued an international arrest warrant for the fugitive Puigdemont hours after the verdict was released.

There are more separatist leaders wanted by Spanish law in Belgium, Switzerland, and Britain.

 

[Plain Jane]

Here is an outside point of view. I also notice that the sentencing received some notice in the comments section in Wings Over Scotland, an independence site.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/weep-catalonia-separatist-leaders-handed-vicious-prison-terms

Weep For Catalonia - Separatist Leaders Handed Vicious Prison Terms
Profile picture for user Tyler Durden
by Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/15/2019 - 02:00

Authored by Craig Murray,

The vicious jail sentences handed down today by the fascists (I used the word with care and correctly) of the Spanish Supreme Court to the Catalan political prisoners represent a stark symbol of the nadir of liberalism within the EU.

As The BBC reports,Spain's Supreme Court has sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to between nine and 13 years in prison for sedition over their role in an independence referendum in 2017.

The prosecution had sought up to 25 years in prison for Oriol Junqueras, the former vice-president of Catalonia and the highest-ranking pro-independence leader on trial.

Junqueras was handed the longest sentence of 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds.

Others to receive prison sentences for sedition were:

Dolors Bassa, former Catalan labour minister (12 years)

Jordi Turull, former Catalan government spokesman (12 years)

Raül Romeva, former Catalan external relations minister (12 years)

Carme Forcadell, ex-speaker of the Catalan parliament (11.5 years)

Joaquim Forn, former Catalan interior minister (10.5 years)

Josep Rull, former Catalan territorial minister (10.5 years)

Jordi Sànchez, activist and ex-president of the Catalan National Assembly (9 years)

Jordi Cuixart, president of Catalan language and culture organisation Òmnium Cultural (9 years)

The nine leaders, who had already spent months in pre-trial detention, were acquitted of a more serious charge of rebellion.

That an attempt to organise a democratic vote for the Catalan people in pursuit of the right of self determination guaranteed in the UN Charter, can lead to such lengthy imprisonment, is a plain abuse of the most basic of human rights.

I was forced to withdraw my lifelong personal support for the EU when, in response to the vicious crushing of the Catalan referendum by Francoist paramilitary forces, when the whole world saw grandmothers hit on the head and thrown down stairs as they attempted to vote, all the institutions of the EU – Council, Commission and Parliament – lined up one after the other to stress their strong support for the Madrid paramilitary action in maintaining “law and order”.

Today we see the same thing. As the Catalans are imprisoned for efforts at democracy, the EU Commission stated that it “respects the position of the Spanish judiciary” and “this is, and remains, an internal matter for Spain, which has to be dealt with in line with its constitutional order.” The Commission here is simply ignoring what is very obviously a fundamental breach of basic human rights. This is far worse than anything Poland or Hungary have done in recent years, and the Commission is also showing a quite blatant hypocrisy in its relative treatment of its Western and Eastern members.

There was a time when the EU was a shining example of economic and environmental regulation and of regional wealth redistribution. My fondness for the institution dates from it being one of our few defences from economic Thatcherism. But it has evolved into something very different, a mutual support club for neoliberal political leaders.

I do not much blog about Brexit because I am less concerned about it than the majority of the population. I neither think remaining inside is essential nor that leaving it is a political panacea. I do desperately wish to retain freedom of movement, and believe leaving the customs union would be economic self-harm on a large scale. A Norway style relationship would suit me fine, but by and large I prefer to stay out of the argument. I do believe that, as a matter of democratic legitimacy, having had the 2016 referendum the result should be respected; England should leave and Scotland and Northern Ireland remain.

But I also say this. A million people are expected to march on Saturday in support of the EU. That is the EU which has just expressed its active support for the jailing of Catalans for holding a vote. They join Julian Assange as political prisoners in the EU held for non-violent thought crime.

I say this to anyone thinking of marching on Saturday.

It is is morally wrong, at this time, to show public support for the EU, unless you balance it by showing your disgust at the fascist repression of the Catalans and the EU’s support for that repression.

Every single person going on Saturday’s march has a moral obligation to balance it by sending a message to the EU Commission that their support for this repression is utterly out of order, and carrying a flag or sign on the march indicating support for the Catalan political prisoners. Otherwise you are just a smug person marching for personal self interest. Alongside the progenitors of the Iraq War, who doubtless will again dominate the platform speeches.

 

[Plain Jane]

AP has an ongoing reporting thread here:

https://www.apnews.com/15130567db234dea9ba4d663851916d6

Latest posts

MADRID (AP) — The Latest on Catalan protests and politics (all times local):

10:20 p.m.

The former head of a pro-independence group in Spain’s Catalonia region says he will fight to get the European Court of Human Rights to overturn his sedition conviction and to secure amnesty from Spain.

Jordi Sánchez, who was president of the grassroots group ANC before his arrest and detention, said he thinks the 9-year prison term Spain’s Supreme Court gave him Monday was “unfair” for actions “of political nature.”

Sánchez told The Associated Press his ultimate goal is getting Spain to grant amnesty that acknowledges he and 11 other Catalan separatists didn’t commit any crimes when they pushed for secession in 2017.

An aide conveyed the imprisoned Sánchez’ answers to the AP’s questions on Tuesday.

Spain’s center-left caretaker government has not specifically ruled out an official pardon for the Catalan politicians and activists.

Sánchez said securing a government pardon would require expressing contrition and therefore, “In the name of democracy, I can’t accept this blackmail.”

He said: “I won’t contribute to making bigger the damage that Spain’s justice has done to political rights.”

___

9:25 p.m.

A line of riot police has charged a mass of demonstrators in Barcelona after some in the crowd protesting the convictions of Catalan separatists lit a fire in the street, set off firecrackers, kicked metal barricades and taunted officers.

The greatly outnumbered riot police went in with shields and batons ready to hit protesters in their path, striking legs, shoulders, arms and backs. They pushed the knot of people back hundreds of yards. Some were herded along the sidewalk with their hands up.

A few remained where they were, objecting as people struck by the batons limped away or lay on the ground.

The crowd dispersed quickly after that while the sounds of sirens and firecrackers continued.

___

8:10 p.m.

Thousands of Catalan separatists are protesting for a second straight day over the Spanish court ruling that imprisoned nine independence leaders and the conviction of three others.

Protesters held vigils at the gates of the Spanish government’s delegations in all of Catalonia’s four provincial capitals.

Riot police charged at some of the protesters after some of them hurled objects at the officers and kicked the temporary fences put in place to protect the building.


The protesters sang the Catalan anthem and shouted, “The streets will always be ours,” ″Independence,” as well as slogans calling Spanish police “occupying forces” and urging them to leave Catalonia.

Vigils were also being held in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, as well as smaller towns across Catalonia.

They had been called by ANC and Omnium, two grassroots pro-secession groups whose leaders Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart were sentenced on Monday to nine years in prison for sedition.

The “Jordis,” as they are known popularly, spent nearly two years in pre-trial detention, a cause of anger for many in Catalonia.

***********

They also report that protests interfered with Barcelona's international airport both yesterday and today.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1191300/spain-travel-warning-barcelona-riots-protests

Spain travel warning as Barcelona riots: Arrests spark orgy of violence across Catalonia

THIRTY people have been arrested and dozens injured during an orgy of violence on the streets of Catalonia’s main cities sparked by Monday’s jailing of nine pro-independence leaders.
By GERARD COUZENS
07:35, Wed, Oct 16, 2019 | UPDATED: 10:05, Wed, Oct 16, 2019

Six people were held in Barcelona during an extraordinary pitched battle between protestors in hoodies who were charged by riot police after pelting them with bottles and other missiles. Regional Mossos d’Esquadra officers said this morninganother 24 people had been arrested in other parts of Catalonia, including 14 in Tarragona. The injured included 43 Mossos, one of the two main police forces involved in yesterday night’s/Tuesday night’s effort to restore order.

Masked protestors in the centre of Barcelona, who like those in the other cities turned into battle grounds made central government HQs their target, also set light to around 20 makeshift bonfires.

The extraordinary level of violence, which left parts of Catalonia’s main cities looking like war zones, led to the Spanish government hinting it could impose direct control over the region in an emergency statement issued just before midnight.

The statement said: “A minority wants to impose violence on the streets of Catalan cities, especially Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Lleida.

Violent groups of protestors are attacking central government HQs in Tarragona, Girona and Lleida and are causing damage in other parts of Catalonia.

“It’s obvious we’re not dealing with a peaceful citizens’ movement but something which is co-ordinated by groups who use violence in the street to try to wreck cohabitation in Catalonia.

“Faced with this situation the government wants to recognise the work of the state forces of law and order. Some officers have been injured in the disturbances and the government values very positively the coordination and joint work of the Mossos d’Esquadra, National Police and Civil Guard.

The Spanish government’s objective is and will always be to guarantee security and harmony in Catalonia and it will do so if necessary in accordance with its commitment to robustness, proportionality and unity.”

The statement sparked speculation Pedro Sanchez’s caretaker government could apply direct rule over the region if the trouble continued or activate a Law of National Security which would give police more powers to combat the violence.

Pedro Casado, leader of the right-wing PP party who next month will seek to defeat caretaker PM in new general elections, tweeted: “Following the violent disturbances which have increased tension in Catalonia, Sanchez must activate the Law of National Security so that no police force is subject to directives from pro-independence support and their integrity is protected.

“We must guarantee security and public order as a matter of urgency.”

Albert Rivera, leader of the centre-right Ciudadanos Party, said: “What we are seeing in Catalonia is inadmissible.

Sanchez cannot remain impassive in the face of this wave of violence which is causing chaos.

“We warned him, we saw this coming.

“He has to act and protect people from the radical separatists.”

Last night’s violence followed the regional Catalan government’s admission it “empathised” with Monday’s blockade of Barcelona’s El Prat airport, which led to more than 100 flights being cancelled the day of the protests and another 45 yesterday/on Tuesday.

Holidaymakers and flight crews had to abandon cars and taxis and walk to the airport to try to catch their planes on time.

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic was among those travellers pictured leaving the airport on foot after the taxi rank outside terminal one was taken over by protestors who clashed with riot police on Monday evening.

Catalan regional government spokesman Meritxell Budo said it “understood the rage” people felt over the jailing of political and civic leaders behind a failed 2017 independence referendum, adding: “We demonstrate our empathy with pacific and decisive actions like the collapse of El Prat.”

Nine of the 12 political and civil leaders tried earlier this year were handed prison sentences on Monday by Spain’s Supreme Court.

Former Catalan Vice-President Oriol Junqueras was sentenced to 13 years in prison for sedition and misuse of public funds.

Three other former Catalan government ministers, Raul Romeva, Jordi Turull and Dolors Bassa, were jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of the same charges.

Barcelona Football Club criticised the sentences after they were made public, saying in a statement: “The resolution of the conflict in Catalonia must come exclusively from political dialogue.

“Therefore, now more than ever, the club asks all political leaders to lead a process of dialogue and negotiation to resolve this conflict, which should also allow for the release of convicted civic and political leaders.

“FC Barcelona also expresses all its support and solidarity to the families of those who are deprived of their freedom.”

Oriol Junqueras said in an audio message from prison: “This is not justice but revenge.”

Spain’s caretaker PM Pedro Sanchez welcomed the verdict, saying: “It brings an exemplary legal process to an end and confirms the failure of a political process. It has only left pain in its wake.”

Man City boss Pep Guardiola also attacked the prison sentences as a human rights attack.

He was slapped down by tough-talking MP Ines Arrimadas who criticised him for “slandering Spain” but staying silent about Qatar where the right to hold power is passed on within the ruling Al Thani family and alcohol consumption is punished by flogging.

Guardiola spent two seasons playing in Qatar towards the end of his career as a midfielder.

Arrimadas, a leading light in anti-independence party Ciudadanos, raged: “I used to admire Guardiola as a player and a manager but I have to condemn his lies as a ‘politician.’

“Very brave to slander Spain but not a word about Qatar where he made a fortune. In our democracy every ideology has a place but not breaking the law. It is not dissidence, it’s sedition.”

spokesman for the Mossos d’Esquadra, speaking at 7.30am local time this morning/yesterday morning (WED) said: “Thirty people have been arrested for public order offences following the violence last night/on Tuesday night in Catalonia which began around 8pm and carried on in some cases until the early hours of the morning.

“Six of the arrests have taken place in Barcelona, 14 in Tarragona, one in Sabadell, one in l’Ametlla del Valles and eight in Lleida.

“Forty-three Mossos d’Esquadra were injured.”

A regional government-run emergency coordination centre said 74 people had received medical attention, although the casualty figures were released late last night/on Tuesday night and had yet to be updated this morning/yesterday morning (WED).

Tarragona, a 90-minute drive south of Barcelona, was the scene of a violent assault on Monday by a pro-independence protestor filmed elbowing a middle-aged woman to the ground after trying to snatch a Spanish flag she was dancing with out of her hand.

Police confirmed yesterday/on Tuesday they had arrested a man over the assault.

Tourists took to social media with concerns over what is happening in Barcelona.

One said: “Serious question. In Spain on holiday with family and we are seriously considering cancelling our weekend in Barcelona.”

Another added: “I was thinking about my holidays and spending a few days in Barcelona. Now I’m not going. I am afraid and scared.”

Caitlin Fitzpatrick wrote on social media: “Happy f##king birthday to me. Barcelona is in lockdown outside our hotel with thousands of people rioting and we aren’t allowed to leave.”

She added in a second tweet overnight: “Why doesn’t anyone know about what we are actually up against in Barcelona.

“The whole city is in shutdown and even our insurance or holiday provider didn’t know about it.”

Matt Currien, from Wolverhampton, caught in a motorway blockade as he tried to get to his hotel, posted footage of him stuck in the jam, and said: “They’re blocking a major motorway and people don’t seem to be disagreeing with them. The police don’t seem to be doing a lot either.

"I presume it’s a major motorway. It’s a bit strange. They’re doing it for their reasons so fair play. I’m sure my all-inclusive hotel will wait for me till tomorrow because by the looks of this we’re not moving anywhere just yet.”

A Barcelona-born woman called Carlota, who was out of the city when the violence flared last night/on Tuesday night, said: “The videos and messages I’m getting from all my friends back home in Barcelona is actually scary, the city is a war zone. My friends nearly got attacked by the police just walking home from a restaurant, all the streets are on fire. It’s gone mad.

She later posted footage of one of the bonfires protestors lit using wheelie bins to block a main road, showing police sirens in the background and masked men near the flames and billowing black smoke and tweeted the message: “Barcelona is on fire."

Spain's government said today 72 police officers had been injured during violence over the last two days in Catalonia - 18 National Police officers and 54 members of the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force.

The number of detentions during the violent protests in Catalonia which lasted into the early hours of this morning have been raised to more than 50, with sources there had been 29 arrests in the province of Barcelona, 14 in Tarragona and eight in Lerida.

Ministry of Interior officials said 157 makeshift bonfires had been set alight on the streets of Barcelona last night.

Medical responders said 131 people had been injured in the protests last night, 37 in Barcelona alone.

Meritxell Budo, the same Catalan regional government spokesman who said it empathised with protestors who blockaded Barcelona’s El Prat airport on Monday, criticised the actions of the hoodie-wearing demonstrators who fought pitched battles with police last night/on Tuesday night.

She said: “We do not just condemn these violent acts but call on people, in response to Monday’s court sentence, to continue to gather in Catalonia to protest civically and non-violently as they have always done and isolate these violent groups of people.”

Pere Aragones, vice-president of the regional Catalan government called the Generalitat, added in a tweet referring to the imposition of central government rule through the activation of the Spanish Constitution’s Article 155: “Don’t gift them what they are looking for. Don’t gift them a veiled 155.

“We have to defend our citizens and our institutions.

“Steer clear of all violent attitudes.”

Is it safe to travel to Barcelona right now?
Advice from the Foreign Commonwealth Office states that more protests could take place, and for travellers to take caution.

The statement on the unrest reads: “There have been large gatherings of people in Barcelona and other areas of the Catalonia region in relation to political developments there.

"Further gatherings and demonstrations are likely to take place. You should exercise caution in the vicinity of demonstrations as they may occur with little or no warning.

"Demonstrations intended to be peaceful can escalate and turn confrontational.

"Demonstrations may cause disruptions to transport including access to airports, roads and the railway and metro systems.

"Barcelona Tourism has launched a telephone line for those tourists that have missed their flight or couldn’t make it to their hotel: +34 93 285 3834.

You can also check @emergenciescat for the latest updates on travel disruption (you will be given the option to translate to English when clicking on individual tweets)."

 

[David Nettleton]

The Catalans just didn't have the will to see this through.

 

[Plain Jane]

I guess we are going to see another day of this.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...dence-groups-march-in-catalonia-idUSKBN1WV0QW

NEWSOCTOBER 16, 2019 / 3:26 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Madrid takes firm line as pro-independence groups march in Catalonia

Joan Faus

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Pro-independence groups began protest marches in Catalonia on Wednesday against the jailing of nine separatist leaders, despite a new warning by the Spanish government that it will step in if needed to guarantee security.

The government reiterated that it would act “firmly and in a proportional manner” to keep order after protesters threw cans, stones and flares at riot police and set garbage cans ablaze in unusually tense confrontations in Barcelona, the regional capital. Thirty people were arrested.

Protesters blocked roads and cut train service across the northeastern region after the Catalan leaders were sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison on Monday over their role in a failed attempt to break away from Spain in 2017.

After their sentencing, Spain’s Supreme Court issued a European arrest warrant for Catalonia’s former leader, Carles Puigdemont, who lives in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

The Brussels prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday it had received the request. Belgium rejected two earlier extradition requests and a spokeswoman for the prosecutor said it may take weeks to reach a decision on the new request.

The warrant was submitted in Spanish. The law requires that it be sent in one of Belgium’s national languages or English so Spain will send a new one next week, the spokeswoman said.

Catalan separatism has long prided itself on being a peaceful movement and its leaders say that has not changed, despite the unrest. Raul Romeva and Carles Mundo, two of the Catalan leaders who were on trial, condemned the violence.

“No violence represents us,” Romeva, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, wrote on Twitter.

Mundo, who was found guilty of disobedience but not sentenced to prison, wrote on Twitter: “Independence cannot become a problem of public order; It is a democratic, civic and peaceful movement.”

Catalonia’s independence drive triggered Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades in 2017. It still dominates the fractured political debate as the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy heads for an election on Nov. 10.

The Spanish government’s reaction to the secessionist moves is being watched closely in other European countries where there are independence movements such as Scotland.

Theoretically, losing Catalonia would deprive Spain of about 16% of its population of around 47 million, around a fifth of its economic output and more than a quarter of its exports.

All main Spanish political parties firmly oppose Catalan independence and all but the far-left Podemos reject even holding a referendum.

MARCHES TO BARCELONA
In the latest protest action, pro-independence crowds set off from several municipalities on Catalonia on marches called by two groups, Assemblea Nacional Catalana and Omnium Cultural, which have organised many peaceful protests over the past years.

They were not the organisers of the protests that turned violent on Tuesday.

The marchers plan to reach Barcelona on Friday, when supporters of independence and local labour unions have called for a general strike and demonstrations in Catalonia.

Segments of two major highways, several streets in central Barcelona and a high speed train route remained blocked off on Wednesday because of damages from the protests and because of the planned marches, central and regional authorities said.

Protests began peacefully in Barcelona on Tuesday but clashes later broke out with riot police. Health officials said on Twitter that first aid had been provided to 125 people and regional police said 43 officers were hurt.

A minority is trying to impose violence in the streets of Catalan cities,” Spain’s acting government, in place until next month’s election, said in a statement.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Catalan public broadcaster TV3 that Madrid was watching the situation in Catalonia closely and would intervene if necessary. But he said: “As of today, we don’t need to set people on edge.”

He called on regional Catalan leader Quim Torra to condemn the use of violence. After Tuesday’s protests, the regional government said Torra was meeting officials in his government.

Additional reporting by Belén Carreño and Jose Elías Rodríguez, and by Marine Strauss in Brussels, Writing by Ashifa Kassam, Editing by Timothy Heritage

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Plain Jane]

The Catalans just didn't have the will to see this through.

There may be more going on here than a simple separatist movement. I looked up an old thread on TB2K from that time.

Islam and Marxism has played a role here.

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...s-Independence-from-Spain&highlight=Catalonia

 

[Plain Jane]

You can tell that the Marxists have gained total control of this movement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-fifth-day-of-catalan-protests-idUSKBN1WX0TY

NEWSOCTOBER 18, 2019 / 4:17 AM / UPDATED 5 MINUTES AGO
Thousands converge on Barcelona for fifth day of Catalan protests
Jon Nazca, Jordi Rubio
4 MIN READ

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of demonstrators waving Catalan flags and chanting “Independence!” and “Freedom for political prisoners!” poured into Barcelona on Friday, the fifth day of protests against the jailing of separatist leaders.

Many of the marchers began their journeys to the city on Wednesday from municipalities across the northeastern Spanish region, after the Supreme Court sentenced nine separatists to up to 13 years in jail over a failed bid to break away from Spain in 2017.

The sentences set off the worst sustained street violence Spain has seen in decades, and Friday’s protests, that also include workers on strike, will be closely watched by authorities in Madrid.

“Throughout this week, as you well know, there have been violent incidents in Catalonia. They have been organized ... by groups who are a minority but are very organized,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a news conference. “Their actions, as we have already said, will also not go unpunished.”

Friday’s marches have so far been peaceful, ranging from families pushing prams to cyclists wheeling their bicycles and people draped in the Catalan independence flag, who took over a highway lane and other major roads as they walked towards the Catalan capital. Some in Barcelona stood by the side of the roads, applauding as the walkers arrived.

Protesters walking on a highway towards Barcelona carried a giant banner reading, in English: “Free Catalan Prisoners Now.”

Several main streets in Barcelona were closed to traffic in anticipation of the marches. Regional trains and the city’s metro were running on a reduced timetable after pro-independence unions called a strike.

Catalan demonstrators chant slogans in front of La Sagrada Familia basilica during Catalonia's general strike in Barcelona, Spain, October 18, 2019. REUTERS/Albert Gea
Barcelona’s main landmark, the multi-spired Sagrada Familia cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi, was shut down due to the protests, an official told Reuters.

The Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said in a statement on that Barcelona’s Oct. 26 home match against Real Madrid, one of the biggest rivalries in the sport, had been postponed due to security concerns.

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FLIGHTS CANCELED
Barcelona’s El Prat airport canceled 57 flights on Friday, airport operator Aena said.

Barcelona town hall said 700 garbage containers were set ablaze since protests began on Monday and estimated that the city had suffered damage totaling more than 1.5 million euros ($1.67 million).

Thursday began with largely peaceful protests as young people draped in Catalan flags tossed balls and skipped rope. The mood shifted later in the night, with protesters setting fire to cafe chairs lining the fashionable Rambla de Catalunya street in the heart of Barcelona’s tourist district.

Slideshow (14 Images)
An official from Barcelona town hall said around 10 trees were set on fire on Thursday.

Regional police said 16 people were arrested across Catalonia on Thursday, while health officials said medical aid was provided to 42 people.

Carmaker Seat, a unit of Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE), halted production at its plant in Martorell, near Barcelona, from Thursday afternoon until Saturday, over concerns that the marches would disrupt traffic, a company spokeswoman said.

Barcelona’s wholesale market, MercaBarna, said visits to its fish sellers were down 85% on Friday, while flower sellers at the market saw 90% fewer customers.

Pro-independence leaders went ahead with a 2017 referendum on independence, despite it being deemed illegal by Spanish courts, followed by a declaration that the region was breaking away from Spain. Madrid responded by seizing control of the Catalan administration and putting the ringleaders on trial.

Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium after the failed independence bid, on Friday told reporters that Belgian authorities had allowed him to remain free without bail after Spain’s Supreme Court targeted him with a European arrest warrant.

Reporting by Jose Elías Rodríguez, Clara-Laeila Laudette, Emma Pinedo and Paola Luelmo in Madrid, Andrea Ariet Gallego; Marine Strauss in Brussels; Writing by Ashifa Kassam and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Toby Chopra

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Melodi]

Hundreds of thousands protest in Barcelona on fifth day of action

This story is getting so big, so fast, I thought I would start its own thread - if things calm down we can combine it back with the general Euro-News. I am concerned because things almost went "hot" two years ago when there was the talk of Civil War - I don't think that really long sentences (for Europe) for the leaders who held an "illegal" vote of the people is helping much either. Melodi

Hundreds of thousands protest in Barcelona on fifth day of action
Updated / Friday, 18 Oct 2019 17:44

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators waving Catalan flags and chanting "Independence" and "Freedom for political prisoners" are protesting in Barcelona.

It is the fifth day of protests in the Spanish city against the jailing of separatist leaders. The marchers include workers on strike.

Many of the protesters began their journeys to the city on Wednesday from municipalities across the northeastern Spanish region, after the Supreme Court sentenced nine separatists to up to 13 years in jail over a failed bid to break away from Spain in 2017.

Pro-independence leaders went ahead with a 2017 referendum on independence, despite it being deemed illegal by Spanish courts, followed by a declaration that the region was breaking away from Spain.

The sentences sparked the worst sustained street violence Spain has seen in decades.



"Throughout this week, as you well know, there have been violent incidents in Catalonia. They have been organised ... by groups who are a minority but are very organised," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a news conference.

"Their actions, as we have already said, will also not go unpunished."

The protests have so far been peaceful, ranging from families pushing prams to cyclists wheeling their bicycles and people draped in the Catalan independence flag, who took over major roads as they walked towards Barcelona.

Some in the Catalan capital stood by the roadside, applauding as the demonstrators arrived.

Several main streets in the city were closed to traffic in anticipation of the marches.

Regional trains and the city's metro were running on a reduced timetable after pro-independence unions called a strike.

Barcelona's main landmark, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, was closed due to the protests, an official said.




The Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said in a statement that Barcelona's home league match against Real Madrid on Saturday 26 October, one of the biggest rivalries in sport, had been postponed due to security concerns. The match will now take place on 18 December.

Barcelona's El Prat Airport cancelled 57 flights today, airport operator Aena said.

Local authority officials said that 700 rubbish bins were set ablaze since protests began on Monday and estimated that the city had suffered damage totalling more than €1.5 million.

Police said that 16 people were arrested across Catalonia yesterday.
https://www.rte.ie/news/europe/2019/1018/1084278-barcelona-protests/

 

[Melodi]

Catalonia protests: Marches and general strike paralyse Barcelona
1 hour ago
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Related TopicsCatalonia independence protests

Media captionTens of thousands joined a "Freedom March"
[see videos at links]
Fresh clashes between riot police and protesters have broken out in Barcelona amid continuing anger over the jailing of Catalan separatist leaders.

A general strike was announced and five marches converged on the city centre, bringing the streets to a standstill.

Protesters also blocked a motorway on the Spain-France border, causing huge tailbacks.

Meanwhile, Barcelona and Real Madrid football teams postponed a match they were due to play on 26 October.

The famous Spanish rivals had been set to meet in El Clásico - a hugely popular fixture due to be held at Barcelona's stadium - but postponed it because of fears of civil unrest.


Masked protesters confronted police in the city centre on Friday, throwing stones and cans at lines of officers in riot gear. Rubbish bins were dragged into the streets and set alight.

Further north, Catalan police closed the motorway at La Jonquera on the French border as about 200 protesters occupied the road. Demonstrators blocked at least 20 major roads across the region, reports said.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Riot police formed lines in the city centre as fires were started in the streets

Earlier, Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church - one of the city's main tourist attractions - was closed after protesters blocked its entrance. In a statement posted on its official Twitter account, the church said a group of protesters was standing at the entrance and interfering with access to the interior.

Skip Twitter post by @sagradafamilia

La Sagrada Família
✔
@sagradafamilia
? [EN] Due to a group of protesters currently stationed in front of the Basilica, blocking the entrance, we can’t ensure visitors will have access to the grounds.
We hope the situation will return to normal as quickly as possible. (1/3)

End of Twitter post by @sagradafamilia

The Supreme Court decision on Monday to jail nine Catalan separatist leaders set off some of the worst street violence Spain has seen for decades. At least 96 people were hurt as the protests spread across Spain's north-eastern region.

On Wednesday, barricades were set alight and petrol bombs thrown as riots gripped the centre of Barcelona.

Image copyrightEPA
Image caption
Roads were blocked as protesters marched towards Barcelona calling for jailed Catalan leaders to be freed

A large peaceful demonstration took outside the city's university as hundreds of thousands of other protesters from across the Catalonia region converged on Barcelona.

Why are people protesting?
The protests began after nine pro-independence leaders were jailed for between nine and 13 years by Spain's Supreme Court earlier this week.

The separatists were convicted of sedition over their role in a 2017 referendum outlawed by the Spanish courts and a subsequent declaration of independence. Another three were found guilty of disobedience and fined but not jailed. All 12 defendants denied the charges.

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is still wanted by the Spanish authorities for his role in the referendum. He currently resides in Belgium. If he returns to Spain, he will be arrested.

What is behind the Catalonia unrest?
Catalan nationalists have long complained that their region, which has a distinct history dating back almost 1,000 years, sends too much money to poorer parts of Spain via taxes which are controlled by Madrid.

The wealthy region is home to about 7.5 million people, with their own language, parliament, flag and anthem.

In September, a march in Barcelona in support of Catalonia's independence from Spain drew crowds of about 600,000 people - one of the lowest turnouts in the eight-year history of the annual rally.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50098268

 

[Richard]

Why not give them some local autonomy under the umbrella of Spain like Hong Kong.

 

[Plain Jane]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-group-website-and-probes-riots-idUSKBN1WX1ZJ

NEWSOCTOBER 18, 2019 / 11:39 AM / UPDATED 7 MINUTES AGO
Spain closes Catalan protest group website and probes riots
Joan Faus, Belén Carreño
4 MIN READ

MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - A Spanish judge ordered the closure of a secretive Catalan protest group’s website on Friday as authorities scrambled to find who is behind street demonstrations that have turned unusually violent.

The sentencing on Monday of Catalan separatist leaders to lengthy jail terms set off the worst street violence Spain has seen in decades, with protesters burning cars and throwing petrol bombs at police in the Catalan capital Barcelona.

Attention has focused on Democratic Tsunami, a new group that emerged last month and quickly gained a huge social media following. Its main action was a massive protest at Barcelona airport on Monday, which caused dozens of flight cancellations.

“The Judicial Authority has told operators to stop serving the domains in which the #Tsunamidemocratic Platform is based ... since they could favor the commission of crimes,” police said on Twitter.

The group immediately moved its homepage to a new address. It was not clear if the court would try to close that too.

Democratic Tsunami says it is non-violent and accused authorities of censorship in a post on Telegram in which it confirmed its original website was blocked and recommended followers visit another site.

The group has not said who runs it, prompting an investigation by Spanish authorities.

NETWORK
The group officially emerged on Sept. 2 on Twitter and was quickly endorsed by separatist politicians, including former Catalan regional leader Carles Puigdemont, who lives in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

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Democratic Tsunami told Reuters it is a “horizontal and adaptable network” of people living in several countries, without a leadership. It said it had held on-and-off contact with secessionist parties and groups to inform them of its intentions.

Its answers to questions were provided by email before the judge’s order to close its website.

The group’s main goal is to get Spain to negotiate on the right to Catalan self-determination and to achieve freedom for jailed Catalan separatists and those living in self-imposed exile, it said. Its protests would continue as long as needed, it added.

A government source said authorities were investigating whether Puigdemont could be behind Democratic Tsunami.

The group declined to comment on this, while Puigdemont denied it. “I absolutely don’t know who the organizers are,” he told reporters on Friday in Brussels, when asked if he had links with the group.

Democratic Tsunami’s call on Monday to “stop the activity of Barcelona’s airport,” on the day after the jail sentences were announced, represented a shift in the separatist movement’s tactics away from peaceful marches.

The airport protest also showed a highly sophisticated organization and technological capacity that resembled the preparation of a banned Catalan independence referendum in 2017, said Enric Lujan, political sciences professor at the University of Barcelona.

Democratic Tsunami said it will announce its next actions through an app that can only be downloaded on its website and shared through a QR code. The goal is to try to avoid a shutdown by authorities or infiltration by police, said Lujan, who had tested it.

Separatist leaders have condemned the violence and stressed the movement’s peaceful approach.

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The protests that led to serious clashes between protesters and police this week were not called by Democratic Tsunami but by other secessionist groups.

The street riots could be linked to anarchist groups, a Spanish police and a government source told Reuters. They communicate through private channels on social media and likely have connections outside Spain, the police source said.

Reporting by Emma Pinedo, Joan Faus and Belen Carreno; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Joan Faus; Editing by Giles Elgood

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

 

[Richard]

So the majority want the separatist movement to succeed? Work out some proposals and put them on the table.

I don't know whether the separatist proposals are viable or not.

 

[Melodi]

MODS sorry I missed this thread, please combine my "new" thread with this one - Jane I'm sorry I didn't see this but there is just so much breaking news and I thought the 100,000s of thousands of people marching needed a thread - obviously there is one here already.

 

[Melodi]

Dup thread - Mods please combine this with the older thread http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...re-for-split-from-Spain&p=7440001#post7440001

 

[Ractivist]

Where have we heard this, small well organized minority pushing the issue.......it's the MO of the left. Organize and attack....relentlessly. As the middle class sits idly by.........till they don't, hopefully. Don't know the dynamics here, but the first impression is as stated.

 

[Plain Jane]

MODS sorry I missed this thread, please combine my "new" thread with this one - Jane I'm sorry I didn't see this but there is just so much breaking news and I thought the 100,000s of thousands of people marching needed a thread - obviously there is one here already.

No problem!

MODS, I agree with Melodi. Please merge the two Catalonia threads.

 

[zeker]

wow that cathedral is amazing

had to look it up

https://www.thecrazytourist.com/best-things-barcelona-spain/

 

[Melodi]

Where have we heard this, small well organized minority pushing the issue.......it's the MO of the left. Organize and attack....relentlessly. As the middle class sits idly by.........till they don't, hopefully. Don't know the dynamics here, but the first impression is as stated.

This isn't a small well-organized minority this is the majority of the people in Catalonia which historically was not part of Spain and Spain jailed their leaders for having an "illegal" vote.

Their situation is similar to Scotland, for hundreds of years an independent country; they are the richest region in Spain and Spain depends on them for taxes.

Catalan in the main language, Spanish is a second language.

Yes, there have been small and well-organized terrorist organizations over the years that use this situation, but this situation is a lot closer to Scotlands than even the situation in Northern Ireland.

Except for Scotland by law can have a vote, Spain has made voting on the topic illegal and jailed the people that held it for very long sentences by European standards.

So Scotland is being treated one way as a former (and possibly recovered) independent nation but Catalonia has been stopped at every turn, even from voting.

Now you know why the locals are mad...

 

[Melodi]

If the press/cops are saying 500,000 the figure may actually have been even higher - just going by how they tend to low-ball protest crowds in Dublin or London.
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2019/1019/1084390-spain-catalonia-barcelona/
Violence escalates in Barcelona after 500,000 separatists rally
Updated / Saturday, 19 Oct 2019 10:36
Around half a million people rallied in Barcelona earlier yesterday

Violent clashes escalated in Barcelona late last night, as radical Catalan separatists hurled rocks and fireworks at police, who responded with teargas and rubber bullets, turning the city centre into a chaotic battleground.

The deterioration came on the fifth consecutive day of protests in the Catalan capital and elsewhere over a Spanish court's jailing of nine separatist leaders on sedition charges over a failed independence bid two years ago.

Around half a million people rallied in Barcelona earlier yesterday, police said, in the biggest gathering since Monday's court ruling as separatists also called a general strike in the major tourist destination.

But while most marchers appeared peaceful, hordes of young protesters went on the rampage near the police headquarters, igniting a huge blaze that sent plumes of black smoke into the air, as police fired teargas to disperse them, an AFP correspondent said.

Other fires raged near Plaza de Catalunya at the top of the tourist hotspot Las Ramblas, where hundreds of demonstrators rallied in defiance of the police, who tried to disperse them with water cannon.

"Anti-fascist Catalonia!" they roared. "The streets will always be ours!"

Scores of police vans could be seen fanning out around the streets, their sirens screaming as the regional police warned people in a message in English on Twitter "not to approach" the city centre.

The situation later appeared calmer, according to a police spokesman.

Earlier, many thousands of "freedom marchers", who had set out to walk from five regional towns on Wednesday, arrived in Barcelona wearing walking boots and carrying hiking poles.

The rally coincided with the general strike, prompting the cancellation of 57 flights, the closure of shops, business and several top tourist attractions, and slowing public transport to a trickle in a region that accounts for about a fifth of Spain's economic output.

Activists also cut off Catalonia's main cross-border highway with France.