Catalunya
2018
On Sunday, March 24, Carles Puigdemont, the elected prime minister overthrown by Rajoy, was arrested in Germany by the German authorities who enforced the warrant issued by the Spanish.
Puigdemont is accused of provoking a rebellion, an offense punishable by up to 30 years in prison. More than ten Catalan politicians are in custody without a guarantee, others have been forced to self-exile, and others have paid excessive sums to be at the moment free.
The “insurrection” for which they are accused is the referendum organized by the Catalan government last October (2017) about the independence of the country. The Spanish state has sent the entire repressive mechanism to dismantle the democratic process and then to throw the elected government. Since then, Catalonia has been ruled by extraordinary circumstances from Madrid, the Rajoy government.
On Tuesday, March 27, demonstrations and occupations take place on highways, train stations, harbors and airports. Thousands of protesters close tolls and all accesses to and from Catalonia, demanding escalation with a sustained general strike and release of all political prisoners.
Demonstrations were organized from below, called by the Committees for the Defense of the Democratic Republic (CDR). The CDRs started as Referendum Defense Committees and have been organized on the basis of neighborhood assemblies.
Barcelona / 27 March 2018
