Thousands of people demonstrate in Madrid against possible pardons for Catalan separatists

Thousands of people demonstrate this Sunday in Madrid Against the intention of the President of the Government Pedro Sánchez to pardon the Catalan leaders imprisoned for the 2017 secession attempt, increasing the pressure in the face of a measure that generates great controversy.

Sánchez himself has asked for understanding of this gesture, which has gained the upper hand in the political debate since he himself gave the first signals at the end of May, and reactivated the polarization left by the escalation of independence.

“I understand that there may be citizens who are worried about this decision that the government could take, thinking about what happened in 2017”, admitted the president on Wednesday in Argentina, where he was visiting official. “But I ask you to be confident. I ask for understanding and magnanimity because the challenge that awaits us, sowing coexistence, is worth it, ”he added.

Although the executive does not give more information, Everything indicates that the possible forgiveness will arrive before the summer holidays. All this to the chagrin of the conservatives, who consider them a forced transfer because of the needs of the coalition government, a minority in Parliament and dependent, among other things, on Catalan separatism.

“Sánchez raises autodidacts who legitimize a continuous crime (…) A historical error which does not solve anything, only to save the life of the government”, reiterated Wednesday the leader of the Conservative Popular Party (PP), Pablo. Casado, whose formation collects signatures against pardons.

The Supreme Court, the body which sentenced the leaders in October 2019, also showed its displeasure, saying that they did not present “the slightest proof or the weakest indication of repentance”.

Of the twelve convicted, nine are serving sentences ranging from 9 to 13 years in prison.

Giro de Junqueras

Among them is Oriol Junqueras, leader of the Left Separatist Republican Party (ERC), a key ally of the Spanish government in Congress.

In a letter sent to two media outlets on Monday, Junqueras breathed new life into Sánchez’s executive, now showing favorable pardons he previously despised and self-criticizing the 2017 secessionist attempt, a move that has deepened the division in the independence movement.

“We must be aware that our response has not been understood as fully legitimate by part of society,” wrote Junqueras, thereby forgoing the unilateral path and advocating an agreed referendum as in Scotland, which the government rejects as contrary to the Constitution.

“I think all pro-independence leaders are aware that this is a very costly decision for the Socialist Party because a majority in Catalonia is in favor of pardons, but a majority in Spain is against,” said Ana Sofía. Cardenal, Professor of Political Science at the Open University of Catalonia.

The most radical wing of the independence movement – where the party of former regional president Carles Puigdemont is located, who fled to Belgium – does not however renounce the unilateral path and is inflexible in its request for amnesty for convicted, which the government is not considering either.

Without a photo?

At the opposite extreme, the right wing will try this Sunday to bring together under the immense flag of Spain in the Plaza de Colón in Madrid this fringe of the population who felt aggrieved by the upheavals of 2017. The same scenario where they have already gathered thousands of people in February 2019, two days before the start of the trial against the separatists.

But now no one seems to want to repeat the famous photo from that day, in which Casado, Vox’s far-right leader Santiago Abascal, and Ciudadanos Liberal leader Albert Rivera appeared together.

With Rivera out of politics and Casado struggling not to be overshadowed by Vox or the brilliant success in the Madrid regional elections of his training partner Isabel Díaz Ayuso, this time around there will be no joint photo and no prominence. acronyms in a demonstration called by a civil platform.

“If this pardons decision really succeeds in defusing and redirecting the situation to a dialogue table, it could ultimately benefit Sánchez and hurt Casado, who has also aligned with Vox on this issue,” said Cardenal, who considers the assistance of the leader of the People’s Party an “error”.

With information from AFP

Reuters Pictures

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