Around 200,000 people rallied in Barcelona calling for two pro-independence leaders to be released from jail. A court in Madrid said they implemented a "complex strategy" to push Catalonia towards independence.
Candle-lit demonstrations were also held in Girona, Reus and other Catalan cities in protest at the Madrid-based National Court's Monday ruling to keep Jordi Cuixart, the head of the Catalan National Assembly, and Jordi Sanchez, the leader of the pro-independence organization Omnium Cultural, behind bars pending investigations into sedition charges.
Before the evening protests, Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull said regional ministers would take part, but not Puigdemont. He called on people to remain calm. "It's the best tribute we can offer them," he said, referring to Sanchez and Cuixart.
The judge said both men had used social media to organize protests on September 20-21 to impede police who were trying to dismantle preparations for the October 1 independence referendum.
A Spanish judge argued that Jordi Cuixart und Jordi Sanchez implemented a "complex strategy" in the run-up to the October 1 referendum to push Catalonia towards independenceImage: picture-alliance/abaca/B. Akbulut
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont had issued a symbolic independence declaration on October 10, but suspended it moments later to seek negotiations with Madrid. Spain's government had given him until Monday to clarify whether his government formally declared independence, which he refused to do, instead reiterating his call for the central government to enter talks.
The Catalan government has not yet formally responded to the renewed ultimatum, but Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull said on Tuesday that Catalonia would not back down.
"Giving in forms no part of this government's scenarios," he said. "On Thursday, we won't give anything different than what we gave on Monday."
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy may decide to suspend Catalonia's autonomy by triggering Article 155 of the Spanish constitution if the regional government fails to respond to the ultimatum.
Invoking Franco
Spain has been gripped by a constitutional standoff between Madrid and Barcelona since a majority of voters in the autonomous region voted for independence in the disputed October 1 referendum.
On Tuesday, Spain's constitutional court officially declared the referendum illegal because it went against the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation."
The ruling followed the court's decision in early September to suspend the law backing the referendum until it could determine whether the law was constitutional. But Turull said on Tuesday he was not surprised by the court's newest decision.
"What the Franco-era Public Order Tribunal never got round to doing was done by its 21st century judicial heir," he said.
"We are facing an executive power in the state that uses the judiciary branch to block the legislative," Turull said.
Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history
The desire of many Catalans to gain independence from Spain has a long history. The region has experienced varying levels of autonomy and repression over the centuries.
Image: picture-alliance/Prisma Archivo
Rich ancient heritage
Catalonia has been settled by the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and the Greeks, who were mainly in the coastal areas of Rosas and Empuries (above). Then came the Romans, who built more settlements and infrastructure. Catalonia remained a part of the Roman Empire until it was conquered by the Visigoths in the fifth century.
Image: Caos30
Counties and independence
Catalonia was conquered by Arabs in 711 AD. The Frankish king Charlemagne stopped their advance at Tours on the Loire River and, by 759, the north of Catalonia was once again Christian. In 1137, the counties that made up Catalonia entered an alliance with the Crown of Aragon.
Image: picture-alliance/Prisma Archiv
Autonomy and the war of succession
In the 13th century, the institutions of Catalan self-administration were created under the banner of the Generalitat de Catalunya. After the unification of the Crown of Aragon with that of Castile in 1476, Aragon was largely able to keep its autonomic institutions. However, the Catalan revolt — from 1640 to 1659 — saw parts of Catalonia ceded to present-day France.
Image: picture-alliance/Prisma Archivo
Remembrance of defeat
After the conquest of Barcelona on September 11, 1714, by the Bourbon King Phillip V, Catalan instuitutions were dissolved and self-administration came to an end. Every year, on September 11, Catalans commemorate the end of their right to autonomy.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/L. Gene
Federal ideas in wider republic
After the abdication of King Amadeo I of Spain, the first Spanish Republic was declared in February 1873. It lasted barely a year. The supporters of the Republic were split – one group supporting the idea of a centralized republic, the others wanting a federal system. Pictured here is Francisco Pi i Maragall, a supporter of federalism and one of five presidents of the short-lived republic.
Image: picture-alliance/Prisma Archivo
Failed attempt
Catalonia sought to establish a new state within the Spanish republic, but this only served to exacerbate the differences between republicans, ultimately dividing and weakening them. In 1874, the monarchy and the House of Bourbon (led by King Alfonso XII, pictured here) took the helm.
Image: picture-alliance/Quagga Illustrations
Catalan Republic
Between 1923 — with the support of the monarchy, the army and the church — General Primo de Rivera declared a dictatorship. Catalonia became a center of opposition and resistance. After the end of the dictatorship, the politician Francesc Macia (pictured here) successfully pressed for important rights of autonomy for Catalonia.
The end of freedom
In the Second Spanish Republic, Catalan lawmakers worked on the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. This was approved by the Spanish parliament in 1932. Francesc Macia was elected president of the Generalitat of Catalonia by the Catalan parliament. However, the victory of Franco at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) put an end to all that.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Loss of liberties
The Franco regime ruled with an iron rod. Political parties were banned and the Catalan language and culture were surpressed.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
New autonomy by statute
After the first parliamentary elections that followed the end of the Franco dictatorship, the Generalitat of Catalonia was provisionally restored. Under the democratic Spanish constitution of 1978, Catalonia was given a new Statute of Autonomy just a year later.
The new Statute of Autonomy recognized the autonomy of Catalonia and the importance of the Catalan language. In comparison to the 1932 statute, it was enhanced in the fields of culture and education but curtailed when it came to the realm of justice. Pictured here is Jordi Pujol, the long-time head of the government of Catalonia after the dictatorship.
Image: Jose Gayarre
Stronger self-awareness
A desire for independence has grown stronger in recent years. In 2006, Catalonia was given a new statute that broadened the Catalan government's powers. However, it lost these after a complaint by the conservative Popular Party to the Constitutional Court of Spain.
Image: Reuters/A.Gea
First referendum
A referendum on independence was already envisaged for November 9, 2014. The first question was "Do you want Catalonia to become a state?" In the case of an affirmative answer, the second question was posed: "Do you want this state to be independent?" However, the Constitutional Court suspended the vote.
Image: Reuters/G. Nacarino
Clash of the titans
Since January 2016, Carles Puigdemont has been president of the Catalan government. He proceeded with the separatist course of his predecessor Artur Mas and called the new referendum for October 1, 2017. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed this as unconstitutional.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lago
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Francisco Franco ruled Spain as a dictatorship between 1936 and 1976. His government imprisoned many political opponents and took actions to suppress the Catalan language and the region's unique culture.
