International Catalonia's Rebellion: 170,000 Spaniards in Madrid March Against Amnesty Plan for Catalan Secessionists

Catalonia's ex-leader granted freedom to campaign for independence
Foo Yun Chee, Paul Day | November 6, 2017

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BRUSSELS/MADRID (Reuters) - Catalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont was spared custody on Monday, when a Brussels court ruled he could remain at liberty in Belgium until it had heard Spanish charges against him of rebellion.

The court’s decision means Puigdemont, who left Spain last month after Madrid fired his secessionist government and dissolved the Catalan parliament, is free to campaign for independence in an election in the region on Dec 21.

Puigdemont said on Monday his government’s actions were legitimate and criticized the Spanish judicial system for a “clear lack of independence and neutrality”.

The December vote is shaping up to be a de facto independence referendum.

Puigdemont’s PDeCAT and another secessionist party said at the weekend they might run on a combined ticket, but would need to make a decision on any formal alliance - which might also include other parties - by a deadline of Tuesday.

Alliances could however also form after the election.

The independence push has dragged Spain into its worst political crisis since its return to democracy four decades ago. It has deeply divided the country, fuelling anti-Spanish feelings in Catalonia and nationalist tendencies elsewhere.

Puigdemont turned himself in to Belgian police on Sunday along with four of his ex-ministers, after Spain issued a European arrest warrant on charges of rebellion as well as misuse of public funds.

All five are barred from leaving Belgium without a judge’s consent.

They will appear before a Belgian court on Nov. 17 for a hearing to discuss the arrest warrant, prosecutors in Brussels said in a statement.

CALL FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION

Puigdemont, writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, called for scrutiny of the Spanish judicial system and said the crisis could be solved only with a political and not a judicial solution.

“Does anyone think that the sacked Catalan government can expect a fair and independent hearing, uninfluenced by political and media pressure? I do not,” he wrote.

Spain’s central government took control of Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of the national economy, after local leaders held an independence referendum on Oct. 1 despite a Constitutional Court ban.

The region’s parliament then passed a unilateral declaration of independence. In response, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the government and called the snap regional elections.

Eight of Puigdemont’s allies stayed behind in Spain and have been detained on similar accusations to the ones the deposed leader faces.

On Sunday, the first part of a GAD3 survey showed that pro-independence parties would win the election in Catalonia but may not gain the parliamentary majority needed to continue with secession.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...om-to-campaign-for-independence-idUSKBN1D616K
 
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Catalonia’s Independence Bid Shows Signs of Strain as Coalition Splits
By RAPHAEL MINDER | NOV. 8, 2017

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MADRID — Almost two weeks after Spain’s government took control of Catalonia, the restive region’s independence movement is showing some signs of strain.

On Wednesday, demonstrators blocked dozens of roads and railway lines across Catalonia as part of a general strike protesting the recent jailing of former members of the regional government. But the strike, coupled with a smaller street demonstration in Barcelona than on other recent occasions, had relatively limited impact.

Separately, the two main Catalan parties confirmed that they would not campaign together for independence ahead of regional elections in December, after disagreeing over how to renew the joint ticket that brought them to office in late 2015.

The splintering is a potential blow for the conservative party of Carles Puigdemont, the region’s former leader. Having left for Brussels, he is now hoping to get re-elected from there while also trying to avoid standing trial on rebellion charges in Madrid. Mr. Puigdemont argued in a Catalan radio interview from Brussels this week that the two parties should again run on a joint election platform — or risk losing to politicians who favor remaining part of Spain.

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Catalonia’s elections were scheduled for Dec. 21 by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose central government took administrative control of Catalonia, using emergency constitutional powers, shortly after Catalan separatist lawmakers voted for independence from Spain on Oct. 27. That declaration was declared null and void by Spain’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday.

Mr. Rajoy’s decision to hold quick elections — after ousting the entire regional government and also dissolving the Catalan Parliament — was intended to catch the separatists flat-footed. It was also intended to deal a decisive blow to the independence movement by showing that Madrid was committed to handing control back to Catalan politicians — but ones, it hopes, who favor keeping the region firmly anchored within Spain.

On Wednesday, Mr. Rajoy told the Spanish Parliament that the December elections would signal a return to “normality” in Catalonia. He forecast a large turnout and an election result that “will open a new political phase in which the rules of the game are respected.”

Still, the latest opinion polls suggest that the results are too close to call. Catalonia’s three main separatist parties are expected to win 66 of the 135 seats in the regional Parliament — resulting in a loss of six seats and the majority they have held since 2015 — according to a survey by the pollster GAD3 published by La Vanguardia newspaper.

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In preparing for the vote, the independence movement is focusing on the plight of its main candidates, who are facing trial by Spain’s judiciary. On Thursday, a handful of Catalan lawmakers are set to appear before the Spanish Supreme Court to face accusations of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for organizing an independence referendum last month despite its being declared illegal by Spain.

The judge could order jail without bail, following the lead of a judge from Spain’s National Court who issued a similar order for eight former members of Mr. Puigdemont’s cabinet pending a full trial. Altogether, 20 Catalan politicians are facing prosecution. If found guilty of rebellion, they could face up to 30 years in prison.

The stage therefore seems set for an unorthodox election, with leading candidates running either from a Madrid jail or from Brussels. Mr. Puigdemont and four former cabinet members are awaiting a decision by a Belgian judge who is reviewing an international arrest warrant issued last week by the Spanish authorities. Mr. Puigdemont argues that Spain’s judiciary cannot guarantee them a fair trial.

Around 8,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Catalan government headquarters in Barcelona on Wednesday to demand the release of the jailed politicians, according to the local police.

The general strike held on Wednesday mostly affected the transportation and education sectors, with schoolteachers and university students joining the strike. Protesters paralyzed part of the high-speed rail network, after blocking the tracks in Sants, Barcelona’s main train station, and in Girona, a city along the main rail link between Catalonia and the border with France.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/world/europe/spain-catalonia-independence.html
 
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Puigdemont got cucked
Non-secessionist solution to Catalonia crisis possible, ousted leader says from Belgium
Thomson Reuters | Nov 13, 2017

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Catalonia's deposed president says he might consider a solution to Spain's political crisis that does not involve the region's secession.

In an interview with Belgian daily Le Soir, Carles Puigdemont was asked if a non-secessionist option was on the table to resolve a crisis triggered when Spain took over control of the region after its parliament declared independence on Oct. 27.

"I'm ready, and have always been ready, to accept the reality of another relationship with Spain ... It (another solution) is still possible," Puigdemont said.

"I have, being pro-independence all my life, worked for 30 years to have another way of Catalonia being anchored to Spain," he said, giving no details of what form such a relationship could take.

The former president is in self-imposed exile in Belgium after running an independence campaign that prompted authorities in Madrid to fire his cabinet, dissolve the regional parliament and call new elections for December.

Puigdemont, who had previously insisted the independence declaration should form the basis of any political negotiations with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, is under conditional release after an international arrest warrant was served against him.

He and four other former members of the Catalan government with him in Belgium face charges of rebellion and sedition.

'There was no alternative'

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Rajoy has said he was open to talks with Catalan leaders on resolving Spain's worst political crisis since its return to democracy four decades ago, but only within a legal framework and after the independence drive was dropped as a condition.

In an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt published on Monday, Rajoy said the position of the former Catalan leaders focused on the independence vote and gave little room beyond that for debate.

"Many blame me for not seeking political solutions. But I've been in politics for a long time and ... there was no alternative," Rajoy said, adding the Catalan crisis was the largest problem he has had to face as prime minister.

He said had tried to reach a compromise with the regional government, but it was impossible.

"The government of Catalonia had only one goal – the independence referendum," Rajoy said.

The Spanish government has called regional elections for Dec. 21, and Puigdemont's PDeCAT has failed to agree on a united ticket with other secessionist party, the ERC, denting the pro-independence camp's hopes of uniting behind the secessionist cause.

The head of the ERC and former deputy to Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras, will campaign for his party from a prison cell after being detained with other cabinet members who remained in Spain and pending trial on sedition and rebellion charges.

According to an opinion poll released last week, independence supporters would win the election if they ran on a joint ticket, though probably short of a parliamentary majority.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/catalan-ex-president-puigdemont-non-secessionist-solution-1.4399983
 
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Catalonia: Spanish PM says country must reclaim region 'from the havoc of separatism'
Mariano Rajoy has visited Barcelona for the first time since he fired its government

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is urging Catalans to oust separatists from their regional parliament in an early election he has called for 21 December.

Speaking at a campaign event in Barcelona on Sunday, Mr Rajoy said that “we must reclaim Catalonia from the havoc of separatism”, adding: “With democracy, we want to reclaim Catalonia for everyone.”

He called on the participation of the “silent majority” to “convert their voice into a vote”.

Mr Rajoy has told members of his conservative Popular Party that “we want a massive turnout to open up a new period of normalcy”.

The visit to Catalonia’s main city was the Prime Minister’s first to the northeastern region since he used extraordinary powers to stifle its secession push. After Catalonia’s Parliament voted on 27 October in favour of a declaration of independence, Mr Rajoy responded by firing its government, dissolving its parliament and calling the early election.

Spain’s constitution says the nation is “indivisible”.

“It’s urgent to return a sense of normality to Catalonia and do so as soon as possible to lower the social and economic tensions,” Mr Rajoy said Sunday. “The threat of the separatists is destructive, sad and agonising. Secessionism has created insecurity and uncertainty.”

Polls show a tight race ahead in Catalonia between separatists and those who want the region to remain a part of Spain. In Brussels on Sunday, those favouring independence for Catalonia rallied near the European Union quarter.

Mr Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party has won three national elections in Spain since 2011, but it won less than 10 per cent of the vote in Catalonia’s regional election in 2015. It continues to poll behind several other parties in the region, including the pro-business Citizens and the Socialists, which are both against secession.

Mr Rajoy defended his decision to temporarily take over running the region under the constitution, which allows central authorities to intervene in regions whose officials have gone outside the law. Catalonia’s separatists, and even some moderates, have criticised the measures as heavy-handed.

“Exceptional measures can only be taken when there is no other option, and we adopted them to stop the increasing attacks to peaceful coexistence” in Catalonia, Mr Rajoy said. “For centuries, centuries, Catalonia and Spain have built a country that is multicultural and diverse, and the separatists won’t be allowed to break the ties that bind us.”

Apart from the Catalonia government takeover, a judge has jailed 10 separatist leaders while investigating their roles in promoting secession. Catalonia’s deposed president and four former members of his cabinet have fled to Brussels where they will fight extradition.

Mr Rajoy linked the continued economic recovery of Spain, and especially Catalonia, to the removal of pro-independence parties from power.

More than 2,000 companies have relocated their headquarters from Catalonia due to fears of being cast out of the European Union’s common market in the case of secession. Employment numbers also showed that Catalonia fell behind other parts of Spain in October.

“The instability is slowing Catalonia’s capacity to create jobs,” Mr Rajoy said. “But I say that the recovery of legality and normalcy will help reactivate the economy.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...paratism-catalonia-spain-latest-a8050826.html
 
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Spain Sees Signs That Tide Is Turning in Catalonia
Central government believes hard-line response to the region’s independence push is succeeding
By Simon Nixon | Nov. 12, 2017

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MADRID—One of the first things a visitor to Madrid will notice these days is the Spanish flags festooned from balconies across the capital, something that usually only ever happens when the national football team is playing in a major tournament.

The same is true in other Spanish cities. It is a mark of how the crisis triggered by the regional government in Catalonia’s decision to hold an independence referendum that was illegal under the Spanish constitution and subsequently declare independence has reawakened previously dormant Spanish nationalism, including among the 54% of Catalans who according to a recent poll oppose independence.

A flag that for historic reasons had until now been seen by some Spaniards as divisive is being embraced as a symbol of national unity and defiance against what many regard as unfair criticism of Spain’s response to the referendum in parts of the international media.

Underestimating the strength of feeling that the push for independence would provoke among pro-Spanish Catalans and elsewhere in Spain was just one of a series of misjudgments by Catalonia’s separatist leaders, five of whom including the former president, Carles Puigdemont, are now in exile in Belgium. Eight others are being held in prison on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.
Many Spaniards regard Catalan independence as an existential issue for the country: the breakaway of one of the nation’s richest regions would be sure to lead to demands for independence by other regions as Spain’s budgetary arrangements unraveled.

The belief that Catalonia is like the capstone in an arch—remove it and the country will fall apart—has ensured Madrid strong public backing for its hard-line efforts to respect the constitution and rule of law, which have included imposing direct rule on Catalonia and calling new regional elections to be held on December 21.

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Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy waved to the audience during an event in Barcelona on Sunday

The Catalan separatist leadership also failed to anticipate the economic damage caused by their independence bid. Since October 1, when it briefly looked as if the Spanish state had lost control, 2,276 businesses representing 85% of the region’s market capitalization and 36.5% of regional gross domestic product have quit Catalonia, shifting their legal domicile elsewhere in Spain, according to the Spanish business lobby group Circulo de Empresarios.

In particular, the region’s two biggest banks, CaixaBank and Sabadell, have shifted their headquarters in a bid to reassure depositors. These moves will erode Catalonia’s tax base, particularly if jobs and ancillary services follow. Indeed, speaking at a rally in Barcelona over the weekend, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged businesses to remain in Catalonia to avoid inflicting further damage on the region.

Thirdly, the Catalan leadership misjudged the international reaction to their independence bid. They had been banking on support from other European Union countries who they hoped would act as intermediaries with Madrid. But while the Catalan separatists have won some popular sympathy internationally following scuffles with police on the day of the referendum and following the jailing of the Catalan leadership, not a single foreign government has recognized Catalonia’s declaration of independence.

Instead, EU governments in particular have lined up behind Madrid in insisting that this is an internal Spanish issue that must be resolved in full respect of the Spanish constitution and the rule of law. In particular, the EU has signaled that an independent Catalonia couldn't count on automatic entry to the EU or membership of the eurozone: for other EU member states, many of which also face separatist threats, this is also an existential issue.

Madrid is cautiously optimistic that thanks to these miscalculations, the separatists are losing momentum and that pro-independence parties will fail to win a majority in the Catalan parliament in December’s elections.

Spanish ministers note that the imposition of direct rule and the arrest of the Catalan leadership hasn’t led to widespread disorder as some had predicted. They are also hopeful that the failure of the three pro-independence parties to reach an agreement to form an alliance for the elections as they did in 2015 reflects tactical splits among the separatists.

They also believe that the separatist cause was damaged by the admission by Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell in a bail hearing last week that she regarded the declaration of independence as “symbolic” and would in future agree to respect Spanish law.

Madrid believes that even if the three pro-independence parties win a majority of seats in the parliament—which recent polls suggest is possible even though the combined support for pro-independence parties may remain below 50% as it was in 2015—that not all the parties will be willing to continue the current confrontation.

The crucial question is what will happen if pro-independence parties do win a majority and opt to continue the confrontation or push ahead with another referendum.

Spanish ministers are reluctant to contemplate such a scenario, but they note that Catalonia will remain under direct rule from Madrid, giving the government full control of Catalan budgets and institutions until a new Catalan leadership is chosen and could be reimposed if at any point that leadership refused to abide by Spanish law.

What’s certain is that Madrid won’t back down in its defense of Spain’s constitution and territorial integrity—indeed, the flags flying from Spanish balconies suggest most Spaniards would expect nothing less.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/spain-sees-signs-that-tide-is-turning-in-catalonia-1510524920
 
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Could Barcelona seek independence from Catalonia?
By Euronews | 11/28/2017

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The rise of the independence movement in Catalonia has encouraged a group of citizens to start working “seriously” on the feasibility of turning Barcelona into a new autonomous community of Spain. If the idea goes ahead, the city could be independent from Catalonia.

The Barcelona Via Fora platform, created four years ago, plans to become an association in December and will be officially presented between the end of the year and the beginning of 2018. “The first step is to figure out the support we have among citizens,” spokesman and economist Carles Bruguera says.

He explains that they feel tired, disappointed and unprotected when it comes to coping with the independence movement, as well as for “the negative impact” that it has had on the city of Barcelona. They regret that more than 2,000 companies have moved their legal headquarters out of Catalonia and that the tourism activity has declined due to political turmoil.

Bruguera says there are other reasons to ask for the creation of a new autonomous community. One of them is the fiscal deficit of Barcelona compared with the rest of the Catalan provinces. “We pay between 20 and 25 percent more than we get back through government funds.”

According to Bruguera, Barcelona’s residents situation could even be compared -ironically- with the secessionist movement. “If they (pro-independence supporters) say that Spain steals from them, we (Barcelona citizens) can also say that Catalonia steals from us.”

Another reason is that “Barcelona is not separatist.”

“The results of the last elections showed that the majority is not in favour of independence,” he says. In 2015, 44 percent of the voters backed secessionism.

The platform seeks the promotion of the Barcelona brand; they want to protect the city’s identity and values, recover stability and attract investments. “We don’t want to break Catalonia, but to preserve the city,” Bruguera says.

Regarding the geographical area of the new autonomous community, at the moment they don’t want to set limits, although they admit being open to include other towns or cities of the Barcelona region.

One of the first actions that they want to carry out is a collection of signatures to find out how many people back them. After that, they could propose a citizen consultation and bring the proposal to the Parliament of Catalonia.

Is it feasible?

“It's possible,” says the Barcelona Via Fora spokesman. “If the pro-independence parties win the elections on December 21, our proposal will make more sense,” he notes. “We will speed up.”

However, if the supporters of the unity of Spain are the winners, “we will slow down.” “Regardless of what comes out on 21D, it’s necessary to raise this issue,” he says.

Bruguera insists on distinguishing his proposal from mockery on social media. A campaign recently claimed independence for a non-existent Catalan land called Tabarnia, including Barcelona and Tarragona regions. He feels closer to London’s initiative to become independent and remain in Europe, after Brexit.

“The most important thing is that we work to improve Barcelona, to be more prosperous and to have more opportunities in the future,” he notes.

http://www.euronews.com/2017/11/28/could-barcelona-seek-independence-from-catalonia-
 
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I guess they should hold an official inquisition. Yeah it probably should be Spanish.
 


 
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This just in: Spain banned the color Yellow:

 
I hope people try to test the color ban with weird shades of orange.
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This just in: Spain banned the color Yellow:



And this is why I follow politics. Follow any story long enough and it will take an entertaining turn for the absurd.
Though this one did kind of start oit that way.
 
Scuffles break out as art is 'plundered' from Catalan museum
AFP | 12 December 2017



Scuffles broke out on Monday between police and demonstrators gathered outside a museum in the Catalan city of Lleida to protest at the removal of 44 works of art that a Spanish court ordered be returned to a neighbouring region.

The pre-dawn operation comes amid simmering tensions between Spain's central government and Catalonia over the wealthy region's independence drive, with separatists saying it amounted to "plundering".

Police cordoned off the museum as workers arrived to remove the disputed art works, including three 15th century wooden caskets.

Several hundred people gathered outside the museum chanted "Hands up! This is a robbery", images broadcast on Spanish television showed.

Some demonstrators briefly scuffled with police as officers tried to move them on.

Catalonia's regional government bought the art in 1983 from the nuns of the Sijena monastery in neighbouring Aragon.

But the regional government of Aragon has since fought to recover the works, arguing they were unlawfully sold, and a court had given the Catalan museum until Monday to hand them over.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government dismissed Catalonia's government and suspended the region's autonomy after the Catalan parliament on October 27 declared independence.

"It is best to respect court decisions," Rajoy said when asked about the operation to remove the art.

But Catalonia's ousted leader, Carles Puigdemont, took to Twitter to accuse the Spanish government of "taking advantage of a coup d'etat to plunder Catalonia with total impunity."


Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium after the Catalan parliament declared independence, is running for office in an early election in Catalonia on December 21st which was called by Spain's central government.

He is wanted in Spain for the crimes of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds over his government's independence drive.

https://www.thelocal.es/20171212/scuffles-break-out-as-art-is-removed-from-catalan-museum
 
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