Protests Engulf Catalonia After Supreme Court Ruling on Separatist Leaders
Protesters gathering in Barcelona on October 18 (Wikimedia Commons)
Violent protests in Spain’s Catalonia region began on October 14 after the Spanish Supreme Court handed prison sentences of nine to thirteen years to nine individuals involved in Catalonia’s push for independence, including former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras. Three others received lighter sentences. Most individuals from the group were found guilty of sedition due to their role in the 2017 referendum on Catalonia’s independence. The rulings triggered violent mass protests in Catalonia. The region’s push for independence has spanned several decades, due to citing cultural differences, historical atrocities, and economic reasons.
Protestors responded almost immediately to the ruling. Protestors blocked road, train, and subway routes to Barcelona’s El Prat airport. More than one hundred flights had to be cancelled as flight crews were unable to make it to the airport. Protestors tried to enter the airport itself, but police resisted their efforts. Police responded to the protests with batons and foam bullets, which left fifty-six people injured. Heavy protests occurred in downtown Barcelona as well, which made it difficult for people to access the area.
The protests turned violent as they entered their third night on October 16. Thousands of protestors took to the streets across Catalonia and torched cars and garbage cans, while repeatedly shouting that, “the streets will always be ours!” There were various face-offs against the police. Catalan police said they were targeted with molotov cocktails, acid, and stones. The police attempted to disperse protesters by using batons, firing rubber bullets, and driving into crowds.
Catalan president Quim Torra responded on October 17 by saying that he “[condemns] violence” and that he “cannot let these incidents happen in [the] country.” The response came after calls from interim Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to condemn the recent protests, while saying that “no leader can camouflage their failure behind curtains of smoke and fire.” Former vice president Oriol Junqueras tweeted that he supports “mobilization and massive and peaceful marches,” but that “no violence represents [the Catalans].”
Similar violent protests continued on the night of October 17. The protests got so severe that the soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, scheduled for October 26, was postponed due to fears of unrest. The next day, five groups emerged in different parts of Catalonia to peacefully protest. The five groups, more than 500,000 people, joined together at the City Center in the evening. A group of protestors blocked the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s iconic church. Another group of protestors demonstrated in front of the police headquarters. Even after the relatively peaceful protests, violent riots emerged again later in the evening.
The events in Catalonia could be a defining moment in the Spanish general elections, scheduled to be held on November 10 later this year. As interim Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pushes to make his leadership permanent, he is faced with the challenge of handling Catalonia, especially as Torra is sympathetic toward separatists and is calling for another referendum.