Catalan act between Belgian separatists | Puigdemont …

Carles Puigdemont, leader of Catalan independence, returned to Belgium yesterday from Germany, where he spent the last four months since his arrest.

Puigdemont arrived at the so-called House of the Republic in Waterloo where he was received by the current president of Catalonia Quim Torra, members of his government, ex-councilors fled the country. Spain and more than 300 supporters. For the crime of rebellion and embezzlement after the failure of the Catalan independence attempt in 2017, Puigdemont has become the international image of the struggle for freedom in Catalonia. Yesterday, in his speech, he announced that he will travel to the last corner of Europe to defend the just cause of his people.

The leader expressed his desire to internationalize the Catalan demand for the Belgian city, from where he also called for the release of the Catalan rulers who are still imprisoned in Spain. Among them is the former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras. "There is no reason, no justice, no politics, no democracy to justify that they spend an extra minute in prison. (…) We want them at home," he said. declared the former president at the entrance of the House of the Republic.

Puigdemont urged Pedro Sánchez, president of the government of Spain, to move gestures to events. "Sánchez has some homework on hold, we hope that the return of the holidays has taken advantage of the time because the grace period ends" warned from the balcony. The arrival of the former Catalan president in Brussels took place after Germany agreed to extradite him solely for embezzlement and not for rebellion, as requested by the government. Spain. Then Spanish Supreme Court Justice Pablo Llerena withdrew the order, which now allows him to move freely.

Torra also made a brief speech in which he mentioned the right to self-determination as one of the elements that he claims in the dialogue that has just begun with the Spanish president. "We have absolutely opposite positions, but they must converge," he summarizes. At the meeting they held on July 9 at La Moncloa, Torra moved to Sanchez: "We have a complicated autumn, you and me," he said in Brussels. Finally criticized the judicial process against Catalan politicians in prison, calling him a prank and declared that the Catalan executive is committed to "always play clean."

The two politicians have shown that they expect concrete moves from the new Spanish government. "You can not want the votes to become president and do not act accordingly." What we are waiting for is Sánchez's recipe for what he himself acknowledged as a problem ", warns Puigdemont [19659007] From the balcony also spoke the British lawyer Ben Emerson, who represents the former president in the lawsuit presented to the Committee on Human Rights. Emerson said Sanchez has a "small window of opportunity" to negotiate with the government of Catalonia, before the trial of Catalan politicians begins. </ P> <p> The lawyer warned that if this opportunity does not come did not prosper, there could be an acceleration of the journey to independence.

The act was also attended by another fugitive from the Spanish justice, rapper Valtonyc, convicted in Spain for glorifying the terrorism, insulted to the Crown and threats, and released on 5 July by the Belgian authorities Valtonyc, who is waiting for a magistrate to decide on his possible surrender in Spain, condemned the existence of a "politicized" justice and badured that the country is a dictatorship and not a democracy. At the end of the act, the hymn of Catalonia was listened to along with the flags of Catalonia and the European Union.

Representatives of the Catalan government, Puigdemont and the ex-councilors sang the "Els segadors" with the sympathizers, among whom were Belgian separatists, who also displayed their flags.

Puigdemont concluded his speech by recognizing the symbolic importance of his arrival at the House of the Republic.