Thousands of Catalan separatists demonstrated Thursday, January 19 near the place where the summit is held between French President Emmanuel Macron and the head of the Spanish government Pedro Sánchez, in order to proclaim that their demands were still relevant.
"
The Spanish government wants to show that we have thrown in the towel and that we have renounced independence
", but the demonstration aims "
to make them admit that we have not given up anything at all
", declared to AFP David García, a 52-year-old economist.
According to the municipal police, the demonstrators, who waved independence flags and shouted "
Ni France, ni Espagne, pays Catalans!"
were 6,500.
"Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation"
Not law from there, Pedro Sánchez welcomed around 10:00 a.m. Emmanuel Macron to the National Art Museum of Catalonia for a summit at the end of which the two leaders were to sign a "
treaty of friendship and cooperation
" on the relationship between the two country at the highest level.
Willingness to show a peaceful Catalonia
Barcelona was chosen as the host city for the summit by the Spanish government to show that the situation was now calm in Catalonia, the scene of an attempt at secession in 2017. A decision perceived as a humiliation by the separatists.
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The president of the Catalan regional government, the separatist Pere Aragonès, greeted, as a local authority, Pedro Sánchez and Emmanuel Macron before the summit began, as required by protocol, but walked away when the anthems French and Spanish sounded.
An opportunity to further defend self-determination
"
We must take advantage of all the opportunities, all the occasions and all the places to defend democracy
" and therefore the right to self-determination of Catalans, the president of Pere Aragonès' party, Oriol Junqueras, told the press. who spent three and a half years in prison for his role in the 2017 secession attempt.
He was then number two in the regional government of Carles Puigdemont.
Coming to power in 2018, Pedro Sanchez, a socialist, has made appeasement in Catalonia one of his top priorities.
He has resumed dialogue with some of the separatists, those who support his government in Parliament.
And he pardoned in 2021 the separatist leaders sentenced to prison for their role in the events of 2017, including Oriol Junqueras.
