Heavy jail terms for Catalans spark outrage in Barcelona

Published October 15, 2019
Barcelona: Protesters use trolleys to block escalators at El Prat airport on Monday as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders.—AFP
Barcelona: Protesters use trolleys to block escalators at El Prat airport on Monday as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders.—AFP

BARCELONA: Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to heavy jail terms on Monday over the failed 2017 independence bid, bringing thousands of angry protesters on to the streets of Barcelona and blocked access to its airport.

The long-awaited ruling capped weeks of rising tension, and puts the Catalan question at the heart of the political debate less than a month before Spain heads into its fourth general election in as many years.

As the news broke, demonstrators flooded the streets of Barcelona before marching towards El Prat, Spain’s second busiest airport, where they briefly choked-off road and rail access, a correspondent said.

At the entrance to the airport, police charged at protesters trying to get inside, a correspondent said, while the AENA airport authority said some 20 flights had been cancelled. Outside, traffic was at a complete standstill up to five kilometres from the airport, with many travellers with suitcases getting out and walking as a police helicopter flew overhead.

Since the early hours, police have been braced for what activists pledged would be a mass response of civil disobedience.

“I feel very affected by the sentence even though I expected it. I feel fury and a sense of powerlessness,” said Joan Guich, a 19-year-old maths student who was protesting on Gran Via.

“They have been convicted for an ideology which I agree with.”

The 12 defendants were put on trial in February for their role in the banned October 1, 2017 referendum and the short-lived independence declaration that followed it.

The harshest sentence of 13 years was handed to former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras who served as the main defendant in absence of Carles Puigdemont, the region’s leader who fled Spain to avoid prosecution.

In a tweet from Brussels, Puigdemont denounced the sentences as an “outrage”.

“100 years in all. An outrage. Now more than ever, by your side and those of your families. It is time to react as never before,” he wrote.

And in a letter released on Monday, Junqueras said the story was far from over.

“Nothing ends today, you neither win nor convince,” he wrote in remarks directed at Spain’s central government.

“We will come back even stronger... and win.” Spain’s government has expressed hope the trial’s end would allow it to move on from the crisis in the wealthy northeastern region, where support for independence has gained momentum over the past decade.

“Following the Supreme Court decision we need to turn the page... through dialogue,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, speaking in English.

But shortly afterwards, a judge issued a new international arrest warrant for Puigdemont, a clear indication Spain would not rest until he and five others who fled abroad had been tried for their role in the crisis.

The separatist movement is hoping the guilty verdicts will unite their divided ranks and bring supporters onto the streets.

“It is time to rise up against the authoritarian fascism of the Spanish state and its accomplices,” tweeted the radical CDR as thousands heeded the call to protest.

Many said they’d taken the day off to protest a sentence they knew would be harsh.

“I’m not surprised but I still feel really outraged. These are good, peaceful, honest people,” said Carles Navarro, a 49-year-old IT consultant.

“We have always looked for a peaceful way (to express our demands) but nobody listens. Now we’re forced to resort to civil disobedience.”

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2019

Editorial

Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...
Dangerous law
Updated 17 May, 2024

Dangerous law

It must remember that the same law can be weaponised against it one day, just as Peca was when the PTI took power.
Uncalled for pressure
17 May, 2024

Uncalled for pressure

THE recent press conferences by Senators Faisal Vawda and Talal Chaudhry, where they demanded evidence from judges...
KP tussle
17 May, 2024

KP tussle

THE growing war of words between KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is affecting...