Catalonia: demonstrations and demonstrations after the secessionist leaders' sentence of 13 years

he Supreme Court of Spain today condemned the political and social leaders of the failure of the secession of the Catalan secession process of 2017 between 9 and 13 years in prison, after having found them guilty of sedition crimes and misappropriation of funds public, which has provoked protests throughout Catalonia.

Former Vice President Oriol Junqueras, the highest politician judged – in the absence of the former president Carles Puigdemontwho fled to Belgium– This is the person who was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 13 years imprisonment and at the same period of disqualification, for sedition and embezzlement, crimes proposed by the State advocacy, which represents the central government.

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The other eight leaders awaiting the historic prison sentence were sentenced to terms ranging from 9 to 12 years, while three politicians were convicted only of a crime of disobedience, for which they were sentenced to a fine of 10 months and 8 years. months of disqualification, who escape the prison.

In his sentence, the Supreme Court exclude the crime of rebellion, which is a setback for the pursuit – who asked for 25 years in prison – and a blow to the arguments of the right and ultra-rightists of Vox, who, like the popular accusation, demanded 75 years of punishment against secessionists for "committing a crime ".coup d'état".

Despite this triumph of the harshest thesis, the secessionist leaders rejected the condemnatory judgment, which they severely criticized, while calling on their supporters to take to the streets to protest.

Former Vice President Junqueras He said that the sentence was "revenge", while the current Catalan president, Who m TorraHe considered it an "insult to democracy" and a "contempt of Catalan society". For its part, Roger TorrentThe president of the Catalan parliament called this decision an "attack on democracy", to which must be answered by peaceful mobilizations.

After learning the sentence, thousands of students have cut the main arteries of Barcelona with banners claiming "freedom of political prisoners" and peaceful demonstrations in the central square Catalonia and square Sant Jaume. The demonstrations have been reproduced in other Catalan cities.

However, after noon, most of the protesters went to the international airport of El Prat, located about 20 km from the center of the Catalan capital, following a call from the platform "tsunami Democratic", who called" take "the main terminal in what was his first act of disobedience in response to the sentence.

The force measurement, which causes delays in access to the international airport and flights, has resulted in police intervention protecting the terminal.

For its part, known as CDR (Defense Committees of the Republic), pressed by Twitter to "stand up against the authoritarian fascism of State Spanish and his accomplices. "It's time to move to the People's Revolution," they say.

Organizations Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Cultural Omnium they also encourage demonstrations, always in a peaceful attitude.

"Nine years in prison will not put an end to my optimism. Catalonia It will be independent if we persist. Let's face it, we are moving from non-violence to freedom, "he said from prison. Jordi Sánchez, the former head of the ANC, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, as well as his fellow activist Jordi Cuixart.

According to the court, the citizen organizations that presided Sanchez and Cuixart (ANC and Imnium, respectively) were at the service of the "political pressure maneuver" devised by the secessionist government during the "process".

he Courthouse Supreme stressed that "to defend the policy, abrogate individually or collectively the Constitution or proclaim the independence of a territory is not a crime", but "it is to mobilize the citizens in a public and tumultuous uprising that also prevents the application of laws and prevents compliance with judicial decisions. "That's why judges attribute to secessionist politicians and"Jordis"a crime of sedition and not of rebellion.

High Court judges have stated that "the existence of violence is proven", but that "the finding of indisputable episodes of violence is not enough to proclaim that the facts include a crime of rebellion", says the verdict.

For magistrates, the violence was insufficient to impose "effective territorial independence and to repeal the Constitution Spanish on the Catalan territory ".

The condemnation of the secessionists has unpredictable political and social consequences at the doors of the repetition of the general elections of Spain, which will take place on November 10th.

"Respect for the sentence means full respect," said the Spanish Prime Minister and candidate for re-election, Socialist Pedro Sánchez, before the opposition's demands not to pardon the secessionists.