In pics | Biggest protest in Spain against Catalan amnesty law draws 170,000

At least 40,000 Spaniards took to the streets of the capital city of Madrid, on Sunday (September 24) against acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists in a bid to stay in office. This comes after Spain’s inconclusive July election and ahead of a debate for opposition party leader Alberto Nunez-Feijoo to become the country’s next PM.&nbsp;

<h2>What is happening in Madrid?</h2>

Media reports citing local officials and organisers said that at least 40,000 supporters of the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP) from across Spain have gathered to attend the rally in Madrid. The images show a crowd of tens of thousands of people waving Spanish flags with placards opposing the possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists.

This comes months after Spain’s inconclusive election where Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) came in second while King Felipe VI tasked Feijoo – whose Popular Party won the most votes – with forming a new government ahead of an investiture vote on September 27.&nbsp;

<h2>What is Sanchez’s plan?</h2>

Acting Spanish PM’s bid to stay in office involves winning the support of exiled former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont whose party Junts per Catalunya controls seven seats in parliament.

Puigdemont, who is wanted for attempting the region’s succession, demanded that charges against his fellow separatists be dropped as a condition for his support.&nbsp;

Sanchez, held his own political rally in Gava, near Catalonia’s regional capital Barcelona, on Sunday denied mentions of amnesty but said that the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis, reported Reuters. “We are trying to turn the page,” he told supporters.&nbsp;

In 2021, Sanchez granted pardons to nine separatists jailed over their roles in the independence push. Currently, hundreds of activists are facing legal action over the 2017 failed Catalan separatist bid which sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.

<h2>What about Feijoo’s bid?</h2>

As of now, Feijoo does not have the support to obtain 176 votes in the 350-seat parliament. During the rally in Madrid, the leader of the PP attacking Sanchez’s supposed plan said that withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to “coup plotters”.&nbsp;

Feijoo is four seats short and has garnered the support of the right-wing Vox plus a handful of other seats. In an interview with El Mundo daily on Monday, Feijoo said “If I accepted” the demands of regional parties, “I could be prime minister next week. But I don’t intend to give in to blackmail.”&nbsp;

The rallies come ahead of the parliamentary debate, on Tuesday (Sept 26) with a speech by Feijoo followed by a first vote on Wednesday. If he fails, he will then face a second vote on Friday where he would require a simple majority of more votes in favour than against.

However, reports suggest that his chances of winning, barring any unexpected surprise switch, are slim since the PP opposes any concessions to separatists. If Feijoo fails, Sanchez will get a chance to see if he can muster support.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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At least 40,000 Spaniards took to the streets of the capital city of Madrid, on Sunday (September 24) against acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists in a bid to stay in office.

At least 40,000 Spaniards took to the streets of the capital city of Madrid, on Sunday (September 24) against acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists in a bid to stay in office. This comes after Spain’s inconclusive July election and ahead of a debate for opposition party leader Alberto Nunez-Feijoo to become the country’s next PM. What is happening in Madrid? Media reports citing local officials and organisers said that at least 40,000 supporters of the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP) from across Spain have gathered to attend the rally in Madrid. The images show a crowd of tens of thousands of people waving Spanish flags with placards opposing the possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists. This comes months after Spain’s inconclusive election where Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) came in second while King Felipe VI tasked Feijoo – whose Popular Party won the most votes – with forming a new government ahead of an investiture vote on September 27. What is Sanchez’s plan? Acting Spanish PM’s bid to stay in office involves winning the support of exiled former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont whose party Junts per Catalunya controls seven seats in parliament. Puigdemont, who is wanted for attempting the region’s succession, demanded that charges against his fellow separatists be dropped as a condition for his support. Sanchez, held his own political rally in Gava, near Catalonia’s regional capital Barcelona, on Sunday denied mentions of amnesty but said that the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis, reported Reuters. “We are trying to turn the page,” he told supporters. In 2021, Sanchez granted pardons to nine separatists jailed over their roles in the independence push. Currently, hundreds of activists are facing legal action over the 2017 failed Catalan separatist bid which sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades. What about Feijoo’s bid? As of now, Feijoo does not have the support to obtain 176 votes in the 350-seat parliament. During the rally in Madrid, the leader of the PP attacking Sanchez’s supposed plan said that withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to “coup plotters”. Feijoo is four seats short and has garnered the support of the right-wing Vox plus a handful of other seats. In an interview with El Mundo daily on Monday, Feijoo said “If I accepted” the demands of regional parties, “I could be prime minister next week. But I don’t intend to give in to blackmail.” The rallies come ahead of the parliamentary debate, on Tuesday (Sept 26) with a speech by Feijoo followed by a first vote on Wednesday. If he fails, he will then face a second vote on Friday where he would require a simple majority of more votes in favour than against. However, reports suggest that his chances of winning, barring any unexpected surprise switch, are slim since the PP opposes any concessions to separatists. If Feijoo fails, Sanchez will get a chance to see if he can muster support. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards march against amnesty for Catalan separatists

&nbsp;Nine&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;separatist leaders walked free from prison on Wednesday and vowed to win independence from Spain, in a foretaste of the challenges facing Madrid as it prepares for talks on the region's future.

A day after the central government granted them pardons as it seeks to curtail the separatist push through dialogue, the politicians and activists - some carrying a banner demanding "freedom for Catalonia" - said their political views were stronger than when they were first imprisoned in 2017.

"Today, as we leave jail, nothing ends. Everything continues," Oriol Junqueras, Catalonia's former deputy leader and the most prominent of the group, told a crowd outside the Lledoners prison, an hour north of Barcelona.

"Until victory day, we will continue working to make the dream of a&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;republic a reality," said Junqueras, who, with a sentence of 13 years, had been serving the longest term.

The nine pardoned leaders had been sentenced in 2019 to between nine and 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds, after an unauthorised referendum on a breakaway that led to a short-lived declaration of independence by the northeastern region and Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

The seven who had been held at Lledoners were greeted by the pro-independence head of the&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;regional government, Pere Aragones, amid cheers and clapping from supporters.

None thanked the central government for their release, with some saying they would not be silenced and that there was nothing to apologise for.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has played down the&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;leaders' defiance saying the government never intended to change their views with the pardons, will meet Aragones on June 29 in Madrid to kick-start negotiations on solving the political conflict.

The central government pardoned the nine in a goodwill gesture ahead of the talks, though the pardons are conditional and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place.

NO REFERENDUM, NO AMNESTY

Madrid has said it is convinced there will not be a new unilateral independence push and ruled out allowing a legal referendum on the matter.

"It is not just a question that it is unconstitutional, it is that we can't keep fracturing the&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;society," Sanchez told parliament, answering calls from separatist legislators for another vote authorized by Madrid.

Meanwhile, conservative opposition parties have renewed their calls for Sanchez to resign over the pardons, arguing that the move undermines Spain's unity.

Opinion polls show that close to half of Catalonia's population favours splitting from Spain and that a majority of Spaniards oppose the pardons.

Catalan&nbsp;separatists are also seeking a broad amnesty for all those with outstanding legal cases related to the 2017 referendum independence bid.

"Amnesty is what we want and we will achieve it," said former&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;parliament speaker Carme Forcadell as she walked out of another jail in Barcelona, calling her release a "small victory" triggered by domestic and international pressure.

The government has ruled out a blanket amnesty, which would benefit around 3,000 people including politicians who fled Spain such as former&nbsp;Catalan&nbsp;regional government leader Carles Puigdemont.

"There won't be amnesty, there won't be self-rule, what there will be is dialogue and politics," said Regional Policy Minister Miquel Iceta.

Nine Catalan separatist leaders walked free from prison on Wednesday and vowed to win independence from Spain, in a foretaste of the challenges facing Madrid as it prepares for talks on the region's future.

Nine Catalan separatist leaders walked free from prison on Wednesday and vowed to win independence from Spain, in a foretaste of the challenges facing Madrid as it prepares for talks on the region's future. A day after the central government granted them pardons as it seeks to curtail the separatist push through dialogue, the politicians and activists - some carrying a banner demanding "freedom for Catalonia" - said their political views were stronger than when they were first imprisoned in 2017. "Today, as we leave jail, nothing ends. Everything continues," Oriol Junqueras, Catalonia's former deputy leader and the most prominent of the group, told a crowd outside the Lledoners prison, an hour north of Barcelona. "Until victory day, we will continue working to make the dream of a Catalan republic a reality," said Junqueras, who, with a sentence of 13 years, had been serving the longest term. The nine pardoned leaders had been sentenced in 2019 to between nine and 13 years for sedition and misuse of public funds, after an unauthorised referendum on a breakaway that led to a short-lived declaration of independence by the northeastern region and Spain's worst political crisis in decades. The seven who had been held at Lledoners were greeted by the pro-independence head of the Catalan regional government, Pere Aragones, amid cheers and clapping from supporters. None thanked the central government for their release, with some saying they would not be silenced and that there was nothing to apologise for. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has played down the Catalan leaders' defiance saying the government never intended to change their views with the pardons, will meet Aragones on June 29 in Madrid to kick-start negotiations on solving the political conflict. The central government pardoned the nine in a goodwill gesture ahead of the talks, though the pardons are conditional and a ban on the leaders holding public office remains in place. NO REFERENDUM, NO AMNESTY Madrid has said it is convinced there will not be a new unilateral independence push and ruled out allowing a legal referendum on the matter. "It is not just a question that it is unconstitutional, it is that we can't keep fracturing the Catalan society," Sanchez told parliament, answering calls from separatist legislators for another vote authorized by Madrid. Meanwhile, conservative opposition parties have renewed their calls for Sanchez to resign over the pardons, arguing that the move undermines Spain's unity. Opinion polls show that close to half of Catalonia's population favours splitting from Spain and that a majority of Spaniards oppose the pardons. Catalan separatists are also seeking a broad amnesty for all those with outstanding legal cases related to the 2017 referendum independence bid. "Amnesty is what we want and we will achieve it," said former Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell as she walked out of another jail in Barcelona, calling her release a "small victory" triggered by domestic and international pressure. The government has ruled out a blanket amnesty, which would benefit around 3,000 people including politicians who fled Spain such as former Catalan regional government leader Carles Puigdemont. "There won't be amnesty, there won't be self-rule, what there will be is dialogue and politics," said Regional Policy Minister Miquel Iceta.

Spain: Pardoned separatists leave jail demanding 'freedom for Catalonia'