Tens of thousands of people in Catalonia called for the independence of the region in northeastern Spain on the occasion of the national holiday ‘Diada’. After a march, demonstrators gathered at Plaça d’Espanya in central Barcelona on Monday evening, a reporter from the German Press Agency reported. They chanted slogans such as ‘Independence, Freedom’. The leader of the Catalan regional government, Pere Aragonès, said shortly before the meeting that the opportunity presented by the sudden interest of the Catalan parties in the formation of a new Spanish government should not be missed.
The organizers of the demonstration, the citizens’ movement ANC, spoke of around 800,000 participants that evening. Early in the evening, the police had spoken of around 115,000 demonstrators. At first it was not possible to clarify why the estimates were so different.
The ‘Diada’, always held on September 11 to commemorate the loss of self-government in 1714, is seen every year as a measure of the strength of the independence movement. This year the demonstration was watched with particular attention across Spain, as Catalonia’s separatist parties are suddenly playing an important role as kingmakers in Spanish politics, six years after the fall of the separatist attempt in 2017. The two Catalan separatist parties in parliament of Madrid will decide in the coming weeks whether acting government leader Pedro Sánchez can continue to govern or whether new elections will have to be held.
Because without the votes of the Catalans, Sánchez’s Socialists (PSOE) would not have a majority. But first, opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the conservative People’s Party (PP), who received the most votes in the July 23 elections, has until September 27 to forge a governing alliance. However, he only gets small chances. Sánchez would then have to negotiate with the left-nationalist ERC of Aragonès and especially with the Junts party of Belgium-based separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. The Junts, less willing to compromise, have so far called for, among other things, an independence referendum, which is considered unacceptable in Spain. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
