Thousands of Catalans protest against convictions received by separatists

Thousands of separatists they cut roads and railways Catalonia, partially blocking the Barcelona airport, protesting against the sentencing of nine of its leaders to terms of up to 13 years in prison for the failed secession of 2017.

According to the international news agency AFP, the police "repeatedly accused protesters who, throwing stones and trash bins, were trying to break the police cordon at the entrance to the airport. the Catalan capital, the second largest in Spain ".

The platform for independence dubbed "Democratic Tsunami" aims to "stop" the activities of El Prat airport, as well as to cut the roads and railways to access them. This forced passengers to walk with their luggage to the building.

According to the emergency services, 37 people were injured, including 34 at the airport.

Some 108 flights have been canceled, according to the airport administrator of Aena.

In other parts of Catalonia, roads and railways have also been cut, local authorities said. The aim was to show the rejection of the conviction of former Catalan President Oriol Junqueras to 13 years in prison for sedition and embezzlement, the harshest sentence handed down against the twelve separatists prosecuted from February to June by the Supreme Court of Madrid.

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In addition to him, the former president of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell (11 years and a half), the former president and president of the influential associations of the ANC and cultural independence Omnium Jordi Sánchez and Jordi Cuixart (9), and five former regional ministers were sentenced. (between 10.5 and 12 years).

Three other former ministers, on probation, must pay a fine of 60,000 euros for the crime of disobedience.

"NOTor it's justice, it's a revenge", denounced in a joint statement the nine separatists sentenced to prison terms.

– "We will return" –

"We will come back, and we will come back stronger … without a doubt, we will come back and win ", Indicated in a letter to Junqueras, leader of the Republican Left Party of Catalonia (ERC), the main accused of this historic trial in the absence of Carles Puigdemont, a former Catalan president has fled to Belgium.

Against these, the Supreme Court issued a new arrest warrant for sedition and embezzlement.

The independence movement called for "peaceful civil disobedience" in the event of a conviction, in which many protesters expressed their irritation.

"We have always sought peaceful means, but no one is listening to us. (…) That's why we're doing this, to cause as many problems as possible, this concerns everyone, to see if they realize"he said to the AFP near the airport Carles Navarro, a 49-year-old software consultant.

"Now we have only the path of civil and institutional disobedience. This lasts a long time"said Juli Cuellar, a 44-year-old manager in central Barcelona.

Beyond the reaction in the rich northeastern region of 7.5 million inhabitants sharply divided into independence, the decision returned the Catalan issue to the center of political debate, a few weeks after the parliamentary elections of 10 November.

JPA / AFP