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WORLD NEWS Monday 30 october 2017
Huge rally in Barcelona rejects Catalan secession bid

By ELENA BECATOROS, how Catalonia’s estimat- onto Barcelona’s streets —
ARITZ PARRA and JOSEPH ed 200,000 public workers the largest pro-union show
WILSON would react to their bosses’ of force in Catalonia in re-
Associated Press dismissal. cent years.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Ousted regional leader “Catalan leaders have
Hundreds of thousands of Carles Puigdemont has broken the law. The cen-
Catalans took to the streets called for Catalans to en- tral government has let this
of Barcelona on Sunday to gage in peaceful opposi- situation go for too long, for
voice their opposition to tion to Spain’s takeover of even 30 or 40 years, think-
the region’s declaration of regional affairs, saying he ing that we were never go-
independence amid vast and his fired cabinet would ing to arrive at this extreme,
political uncertainty for the keep “working to build a but here we are,” said An-
region in northeast Spain. free country.” gelita Cuesta, a 66-year-
Catalonia’s political lead- Separatist parties and old retiree at the rally.
ership was fired Saturday grassroots groups have “Our society is fractured,
by central authorities in spoken of waging a cam- there are family members Nationalist activists hold up a banner during a mass rally against
Madrid who are trying to paign of disobedience to and friends who no longer Catalonia’s declaration of independence, in Barcelona, Spain,
tame the worst political hamper the efforts by cen- can talk about politics to Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017.
crisis Spain has seen in de- tral authorities to run the avoid conflict,” she added. Associated Press
cades. So far, Catalan’s region. The Catalan parliament’s turmoil in Catalonia could liament president, said
former leader has insinu- Puigdemont and his min- vote to secede came af- have a severe economic the central government’s
ated that he won’t step isters could face prison for ter an Oct. 1 referendum impact, both in the region move to take control of
down. their separatist actions. in favor of independence and on Spain itself. some regional affairs was
Waving Spanish, Catalan Spain’s government has that was deemed illegal by Addressing the crowd at the only thing preventing a
and European Union flags, said the ousted Catalan Spain’s constitutional court. Sunday’s rally, Josep Bor- full-blown economic crisis
the protesters described leaders could be charged There are fears the political rell, former European Par- in Catalonia.q
themselves as the silent with usurping others’ func-
majority who have been tions if they refuse to com-
ignored during the wealthy ply with their firing. Spanish
region’s bid for indepen- prosecutors have also said
dence, which came to a they may consider rebel-
head Friday when the re- lion charges against lead-
gional parliament voted to ing separatists.
secede from Spain. Oriol Junqueras, the ousted
“We have organized our- vice president of Cata-
selves late, but we are here lonia’s rebellious govern-
to show that there is a ma- ment, wrote in an open
jority of Catalans that are letter Sunday saying that
no longer silent and that separatists should consider
no longer want to be si- participating in the elec-
lenced,” said Alex Ramos, tion Rajoy called for Dec.
head of Catalan Civil Soci- 21. Some secessionists
ety, a pro-union grassroots have argued to boycott
group. the vote.
The organizers said more The top politicians for pro-
than 1 million people union parties hoped to use
turned out but police put Sunday’s rally to launch
the figure at 300,000. There their election campaigns.
was no way to immediately “It’s time to take over the
reconcile the figures. streets and take over the
The mood at Sunday’s rally ballot boxes,” said Albert
was festive. “We won’t let Rivera, the leader of the
Spain be torn apart into center-right Citizens party.
pieces,” read one ban- Separatists won 48 percent
ner. “The awakening of a of the vote in Catalonia in
silenced nation,” read an- the 2015 regional election,
other. although they took more
In response to the lawmak- seats in the regional parlia-
ers’ secessionist vote, Span- ment because of an elec-
ish Prime Minister Mariano tion law that gives more
Rajoy triggered unprec- weight to sparsely popu-
edented constitutional lated areas.
powers, firing Catalonia’s Organizers said the rally’s
secessionist regional gov- goal Sunday was to de-
ernment and calling an fend Spain’s unity and re-
early regional election for ject “an unprecedented
Dec. 21. attack in the history of de-
Monday will be the first mocracy.”
working day since the re- Three weeks ago, the same
gion declared indepen- group organized another
dence and its leadership mass rally that brought
was fired. It was not known hundreds of thousands