Pro-Independence Activists Protesting In Barcelona Against Puigdemont's Arrest In Italy

Supporters of Catalan independence gathered in front of the Italian consulate in Barcelona on Friday to oppose the arrest of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont in Italy, according to the Catalan National Assembly, one of the organizers of the rally

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2021) Supporters of Catalan independence gathered in front of the Italian consulate in Barcelona on Friday to oppose the arrest of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont in Italy, according to the Catalan National Assembly, one of the organizers of the rally.

On Thursday, Catalonia's ex-president, who fled Spain in late October 2017 after being charged with secession, was arrested on his arrival to Sardinia, Italy, for a Catalan folklore festival.

"People don't fail! There are more and more of us outside the Italian consulate. In defense of the rights of the president @KRLS (Carles Puigdemont ), of European values and fundamental rights, everyone on Aribau Street in BCN (Barcelona)!" the Catalan National Assembly wrote on Twitter.

The participants of the protest chanted "Puigdemont is our president," "Shame," "Freedom," "Independence," as they carried the flags of an independent Catalonia, as seen in a video published by the group.

Leaders of the independence movement, including the president of the independence organization Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Elisenda Paluzie, delivered messages of support at the rally.

"We are facing a new episode of political persecution of independence and, in particular, the ferocity of the Spanish state with the president @KRLS (Carles Puigdemont ). In the face of what may happen, we call for maximum mobilization of the pro-independence grassroots, who are always up to the task," Paluzie wrote on Twitter.

Puigdemont fled Spain in October 2017 after being charged with secession over his role in the referendum and unilateral declaration of Catalonia's independence, considered illegal by the Spanish government.

Since 2019, the Catalan pro-independence leader has served as a Member of the European Parliament, but was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in March and lost an appeal to the European Court of Justice in July to have his immunity reinstated.

On Friday, Puigdemont will appear in front of a judge in Sassari, Italy, who will decide on the former Catalan president's extradition.