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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 12 SepteMber 2022
Catalan separatists rally as movement frays 5 years on

By JOSEPH WILSON nationalist in Barcelona. with central authorities.
Associated Press "Let's not mistake who There are divisions also
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — our real opponent is: the between the separatist
Around 150,000 Catalan Spanish state," said Marta political parties that form
separatists rallied in Barce- Vilalta, spokeswoman for Catalonia's government.
lona on Sunday, trying to Aragonès party. "Enough of The junior member of Ara-
reignite the independence criticism and anything that gonès' government shares
movement that is fraying divides us." the ANC's skepticism of the
as it nears the five-year an- Aragonès defends the talks with Madrid. Its lead-
niversary of its failed break- talks with the government ership has publicly talked
away bid from Spain. of Spanish Prime Minister about leaving the govern-
For the past decade, the Pedro Sánchez as vital. ment unless there is a stron-
Sept. 11 rally held on Cat- He insists that he won't re- ger plan of action to force
alonia's main holiday has nounce his pledge to hold independence.
been the focal point of the another referendum on in- But no one, not the ANC or
wealthy northeast region's Men dressed in costume shoot their rifles during a performance dependence, but said the the more radical separat-
separatist movement. It to celebrate the Catalan National Day in Barcelona, Spain, talks are crucial to finding ist parties, seem to be able
has drawn in several hun- Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Men dressed in costume shoot their rifles solutions for the dozens of to articulate exactly how
dreds of thousands of peo- during a performance to celebrate the Catalan National Day in Catalans in legal trouble for they can achieve indepen-
Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022.
ple clamoring to create a Associated Press their role in the 2017 break- dence if not via an autho-
new country in the western away bid that was ruled il- rized referendum. The 2017
Mediterranean. gional president, Pere Ara- Amid a sea of pro-indepen- legal by Spanish courts. bid was based on an un-
But the unity between pro- gonès, to become the first dence flags, some march- Coinciding with the talks, authorized referendum on
independence political Catalan president to not ers carried signs demand- Spain's government issued independence, and that
parties and the civil society attend the annual seces- ing Catalan authorities ei- pardons last year for nine only got the separatists into
groups that led the Octo- sionist march. ther make a "Declaration of Catalan separatist leaders legal problems.
ber 2017 independence Dolors Feliu, the president Independence or Resign." who had been sentenced Historian Enric Ucelay-
push, which received no of ANC, told The Associ- Feliu told the huge crowd to long prison terms for Da Cal, author of several
international support and ated Press that she hopes in Barcelona that "this rally leading the 2017 bid. books on Catalonia and its
was quickly quashed, is in Sunday's rally will serve as a has put the fear" presum- The infighting threaten- separatist movement, says
danger of falling apart due wake-up call for Aragonès ably, in the separatist par- ing Catalonia's separatist this marks the low point of
to conflicting views on how to cease negotiations with ties. cause comes while Scot- the current push.
to go forward. the central government. "The people never fail to live land is seeking to hold a "I think the whole move-
The Catalan National As- "It has to be the people on up to the circumstances. second independence ment is out on a limb,"
sembly (ANC), a civil group the street and the institu- Politicians fail. And the cur- referendum after the "No" Ucelay-Da Cal told the AP.
that organizes Sunday's tions committed to inde- rent Catalan government is vote won in 2014. "I don't see the association
march, is strongly opposed pendence who achieve failing," said Kevin Izaguirre, Catalan separatist parties movement being able to
to the talks that the Cata- independence and that a 29-year-old store clerk at- won 52% of the vote last lead any better than the
lan government is holding the Spanish state will op- tending the event. year and maintained their parties have done, be-
with Spain's central govern- pose us," Feliu said. "If we Aragonès did participate hold on the regional parlia- cause none of them are
ment in Madrid. The influ- wait for the approval of the in other events on the holi- ment, but after years of ex- facing the real facts. They
ential organization says it Spanish state, we won't get day, but other members of treme tensions and protests are not sizing up who they
has lost faith in political par- anywhere." his Republican Left of Cat- that turned violent in 2019, are. They are saying 'we
ties and is ready to move Barcelona's police calcu- alonia party endured jeers many people, especially are everybody.'"
on without them toward a lated that 150,000 people of "Traitors!" from spectators the roughly half of Cata- He said the movement's
new attempt at breaking attended the rally. Or- when they made the tradi- lans who want to remain a splintering is "just a hang-
with Spain. ganizers claimed several tional offering of flowers at part of Spain, are relieved over: you had the party
That led Catalonia's re- hundred thousand more. a monument to a Catalan that there is a dialogue and it didn't work out."q

Venezuelan government defends

detention of U.S. nationals

of a Marine veteran. the sovereignty and self- ed Nations officials have
The government of Presi- determination of peoples," long complained about
dent Nicolás Maduro said according to the state- the lack of independence
in a statement late Satur- ment. of Venezuelan judges and
day it will continue to en- The government's com- prosecutors and about
force its laws and reiterat- ment came a day after conditions at the facility
ed the "spaces and chan- the State Department said where several Americans
nels" opened with the U.S. it would continue to press are being held.
"in search of understand- Maduro "for the immedi- In March, Maduro's gov-
ing on issues" relevant to ate and unconditional re- ernment freed two Ameri-
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a their bilateral relationship. lease" of Matthew Heath cans following a surprise
ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme "It is unfortunate that the and other U.S. citizens it trip to Venezuela's capital,
Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 22, 2021. authorities of the United considers wrongfully de- Caracas, by senior White
Associated Press
States insist on their claim tained in Venezuela. House and State Depart-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) citizens, rejecting an ear- to confer an unaccept- At least 10 men, includ- ment officials. A subse-
— The Venezuelan gov- lier statement from the De- able immunity or letter of ing five oil executives and quent trip in June did not
ernment defended the partment of State marking marque to their nationals, three veterans, are de- result in the release of any
detention of United States the two-year confinement in absolute disregard for tained in Venezuela. Unit- detainees.q