tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Madrid against the amnesty law for Catalan separatists

“For the rule of law, SOS the European Union” : tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday, November 18, in Madrid, to denounce the future amnesty law for Catalan separatist leaders and activists. Around 170,000 people, according to the prefecture, gathered in Cibeles Square, around the famous fountain of the same name, in the heart of the Spanish capital, to respond to the call to demonstrate launched by the right. This is where Real Madrid supporters meet in the event of a victory.

To the cries of “Sánchez, traitor”, “Sánchez, son of a bitch”, “Sánchez in prison!” Or “Catalonia is Spain”the participants, of all ages, had tied on their shoulders or waved Spanish flags, and others brandished European flags distributed by the European People’s Party (EPP, right).

Coming second in the July legislative elections behind right-wing leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo (PP), socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in power since 2018, managed to be reappointed on Thursday after having negotiated in all directions to obtain the support of parties regionalists, including the Catalan independence parties.

A law “as serious as a coup d’état”, according to the far right

In exchange for their votes, essential to the formation of a majority, he accepted several concessions, including the upcoming adoption of a very controversial amnesty law for separatist leaders and activists prosecuted in particular for their involvement in the attempt to secession of Catalonia in 2017. “They know they don’t have the votes to do what they’re doing. That’s why we’re telling them with this protest.”said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accusing Pedro Sanchez of elevating the Spaniards “against each other”.

Also present at the demonstration, the leader of the far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, considered that this law was “as serious as a coup d’état”. The two leaders did not appear next to each other, although Alberto Núñez Feijóo tried in September to be inaugurated as Prime Minister with the support of Santiago Abascal, without managing to obtain a majority in Parliament.