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Thousands protest in Madrid over plans to pardon Catalan separatists

13/06/2021

Thousands of protestors pack streets in Madrid over government plans to pardon dozens of Catalan separatist leaders who pushed ahead with banned referendum

Madrid’s central Plaza Colon was packed during a rally on Sunday against plans to pardon Catalan separatists
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said such a move could improve relations between Spain and Catalonia
Tensions have risen over the last decade over the thorny issue of an independent Catalonia
Supporters say Catalonia is a culturally distinct entity that could financially support itself as its own state but detractors warn the move could destabilise Spain

Tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets of Madrid on Sunday to rally against plans to pardon 12 Catalan politicians convicted over the region’s failed independence bid in 2017.

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo gave the clearest indication yet that the pardons of the Catalan separatists were ‘close’ in an interview published on Sunday with La Vanguardia newspaper, but the issue has bitterly divided Spaniards, who see Catalan independence as a threat to national unity.

Around 63 per cent of Spaniards oppose granting the pardons while some 25 per cent backed it and about 6 per cent were indifferent, according to a poll published on Sunday for niusdiario.es, an online newspaper.

‘We should stop this now because for a pardon you must show contrition, and the separatists will not show that,’ Carlos Bandecha, 47, a businessman, said at the rally, where many protesters waved the red and yellow national flag of Spain.

Madrid’s Municipal Police force estimated that 126,000 people took part in the protest, organised by a civil society group to promote a united Spain, while the National Police put the figure at 25,000.

Opposition lawmakers from the conservative People’s Party (PP), the far-right Vox party and the centrist Ciudadanos joined the rally in Madrid’s central Plaza Colon, which has become a symbol for far-right political rallies.

Tens of thousands of protesters packed the streets of Madrid on Sunday to rally against plans to pardon 12 Catalan politicians convicted over the region’s failed independence bid in 2017

Asked when Spain’s centre-left government might approve the pardons, Calvo told La Vanguardia: ‘Soon, they are close. After the Supreme Court report arrives, we will immediately follow up on them. They should arrive soon at the cabinet.’

Spain’s Supreme Court said in a non-binding report last month that it opposes potential government pardons for the Catalan separatist leaders.

It sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders in October 2019 to between nine and 13 years in jail on sedition charges for organising an unauthorised referendum on independence and issuing a short-lived unilateral declaration of independence based on the vote.

Three others were convicted of disobedience but not jailed.

Spain’s Supreme Court said in a non-binding report last month that it opposes potential government pardons for the Catalan separatist leaders. Pictures: Protesters in Madrid, one of which holds a sign reading: ‘Sanchez, go away already’

The Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders in October 2019 to between nine and 13 years in jail on sedition charges for organising an unauthorised referendum on independence and issuing a short-lived unilateral declaration of independence based on the vote. Pictured: A sign bearing the images of Catalan separatist politicans reads ‘The coup plotters, to jail’

‘Sanchez is planning pardons to legitimise an ongoing crime… (in) a historic error that won’t solve anything, only to keep his government from going under,’ PP leader Pablo Casado (pictured in blue shirt) said

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has defended the potential pardons as a way to bring Catalans and Spaniards closer together after the divisive prosecutions that put most of the Catalan leaders behind bars.

However, Sanchez is also facing criticism in his own Socialist camp, where the potential pardons are seen as a risky political gamble.

Detractors say the separatists have not shown any remorse for their defiance of the Spanish Constitution and that Sanchez is making concessions to them in exchange for support from Catalan lawmakers in the national parliament.

‘Sanchez should take note: he’ll pardon [the separatists], but the Spanish people won’t pardon him,’ Madrid mayor and PP spokesman, Jose Luis Martinez Almeida, said.

‘Sanchez is planning pardons to legitimise an ongoing crime… (in) a historic error that won’t solve anything, only to keep his government from going under,’ PP leader Pablo Casado said.

‘The only thing that Sanchez wants is to hold onto power at whatever price,’ one demonstrator, Pablo Martinez, who had come to the rally with his wife and daughter from Oviedo in northern Spain, told AFP news agency.

During an official visit to Argentina on Wednesday, Sanchez said he understood that ‘there may be people who could have objections over this decision that the government may take, given what happened in 2017.

‘But I ask for your trust. I ask for understanding and for magnanimity because the challenge facing all of us – to promote coexistence – is worth it,’ he said.

Tensions over secession grew in earnest a decade ago amid the economic hardship of the Great Recession and discontent over Spain’s opposition to more autonomy for the Catalan-speaking region of 7.5 million people.

The issue has also dominated the political debate at the national level and contributed to the rise of nationalist Vox, which has become the third-largest political force in the Spanish Congress.

The prisoner serving the longest sentence of 13 years is Oriol Junqueras, head of the ERC (the Republican Left of Catalonia) which is a key parliamentary ally for Sanchez’s government.

In a letter published on Monday, Junqueras signalled support for the idea of a pardon from Madrid after previously rejecting the idea out of hand, also admitting that the separatists had made errors back in 2017.

‘We must be mindful of the fact that our response was also not seen as fully legitimate by part of society,’ he wrote.

The issue of Catalan independence has also dominated the political debate at the national level and contributed to the rise of nationalist Vox, which has become the third-largest political force in the Spanish Congress

Hardline separatists, among them the JxCat party of ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont who fled Spain to avoid prosecution after the 2017 independence bid, have not given up on unilateralism, and have repeatedly demanded an amnesty for the prisoners – which is not on the table. Pictured: A banner reads: ‘No to a pardon for the coup plotters’

He also expressed support for a Scottish-style referendum carried out in agreement with Spain – an option which Madrid is not willing to discuss.

‘All separatist leaders are aware this will be a very costly decision for the Socialists because most Catalans are in favour of the pardons but most Spaniards are against,’ said Ana Sofia Cardenal, a political scientist at Catalonia’s Open University.

But hardline separatists, among them the JxCat party of ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont who fled Spain to avoid prosecution after the 2017 independence bid, have not given up on unilateralism, and have repeatedly demanded an amnesty for the prisoners – which is not on the table.

Although the organisers of Sunday’s rally have said no political leaders will be allowed up to the podium, political analyst Cardenal said it would be a mistake for opposition leader Casado to even attend.

‘If this decision to grant pardons manages to really steer (the Catalan crisis) towards dialogue, it could benefit Sanchez and harm Casado, who has aligned himself with Vox on this issue,’ he said.

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