Pro-independence Catalans rally for jailed leaders
November 11, 2017
Thousands of Catalan separatists have protested in Barcelona for the release of regional leaders jailed by Madrid. Catalonia remains divided over independence — even Playmobil toys are being drawn into the struggle.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Lago
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Thousands of Catalan independence supporters took to the streets of Barcelona again on Saturday, this time to demand that the government in Madrid release jailed regional leaders.
The protesters were wearing yellow ribbons on their lapels and holding photos of the imprisoned leaders.
Barcelona's municipal police put the turnout of the march at some 750,000 people.
"Look at all the people here," said Pep Morales, a protester. "The independence movement is still going strong."
The Spanish government detained eight members of Catalonia's now-dissolved parliament, as well as two leaders of pro-independence civil organizations, for their roles in an unconstitutional declaration of independence on October 27.
Their arrests came after Madrid enacted a constitutional article to suspend the wealthy region's autonomy and take direct control, dissolving the Catalan parliament and scheduling new elections for December 21.
Carme Forcadell, the speaker of Catalonia's sacked parliament, was released from prison on Friday after her €150,000 ($175,000) bail was posted. Five other members of Catalonia's former parliament were granted bail Thursday after they testified before Spain's Supreme Court on charges of rebellion, sedition and misappropriation of public funds.
Catalonia's ex-leader Carles Puigdemont is currently in self-imposed exile in Belgium, awaiting a hearing on his possible extradition.
Barcelona rally participants holding placards reading 'freedom for political prisoners'Image: Reuters/J. Barbancho
'Common noise'
Saturday's protest rally has been organized by two pro-independence groups, ANC and Omnium, whose leaders are also in custody.
Puigdemont called on the Catalans to create "common noise" during Saturday's protest.
"Although some of us are far away from you and others are in prison, we have an opportunity to express loudly and clearly that we want freedom and democracy," the ex-leader told Catalan television from his current location in the Belgium capital.
"We also want all those in prison or abroad to return," he added.
"Your light reaches us in Brussels and illuminates the path we must keep following," Puigdemont tweeted during the protest.
Puigdemont said he had traveled to Brussels to lobby European officials in favor of Catalonia's independence. But the European Union has not supported the Catalan cause, in part for fear it could embolden separatist movements in other member states.
Protest in miniature
Barcelona was not the only city in Catalonia where protesters could be found on Saturday — though those outside the capital were often smaller. In the city of Amposta, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Barcelona, scenes at a three-day-long expo dedicated to the German toy Playmobil also showed off pro-independence sentiment.
Some vignettes had the plastic people holding signs identical to those of their bigger Barcelona counterparts calling for "political prisoners" to be freed.
In a reflection of the current deep divisions within Spain over Catalan independence, some Twitter users expressed disgust at the politicized toys and asked how far this craziness would go.
Since a contested independence referendum on October 1, several national unity rallies have also been held in the region. Catalonia's 7.5 million inhabitants remain starkly at odds over its independence bid.
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.
