GIRONA, Spain — A few hundred secession supporters marched early Tuesday in Spain’s northeastern city of Girona to mark two years since a banned independence referendum that shook Spanish politics. The arrests last week of seven pro-independence activists who face possible terrorism charges have also angered many in Catalonia, who liken the crackdown to an attempt by Spanish authorities to criminalize their political independence movement. Puigdemont, who has successfully fought off extradition requests by Spain to Belgian and German authorities, accused Spanish authorities of looking for ammunition to make a fresh attempt to arrest him. Spanish politicians and editorials have criticized separatist leaders for not condemning the activists’ alleged plans. Polls and recent elections show that the 5.5 million voters of Catalonia are roughly evenly split on the independence issue.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 01, 2019 10:41 UTC