Today in Brussels, 45.000 pro-independence Catalans are demonstrating the strength of their claim. The demonstration was organized by parties from the former government of the Generalitat de Catalunya, after the Spanish central government triggered the Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The former President of Catalunya, Carles Puigdemont, and six other counselors are in Brussels as they were accused of sedition and betrayal to the Spanish constitution, after they announced the Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 27th October 2017.
The motivations for the demonstration in Brussels are various: first of all, demonstrators want the EU to intervene to smooth their path to nationhood, and stop siding with Madrid in the country’s constitutional crisis. They want to open the campaign for the elections that are programmed for the 21st of December to re-elect the Parliament of Catalonia and the government. And finally, they want to stand by the part of their former government that they consider in exile in Belgium, as the other part of the former government is imprisoned in Spain.
The demonstration began in the Parc du Cinquantenaire and ended in Place Jean Rey where a little stage allowed the final speeches. Carles Puigdemont said in his speech: “Fundamental rights have no borders, they have to be valid for everyone. We want a Europe of citizens with freedom.”
Tancredi Marini
For further information:
- Politico.eu, “Brussels bathed in Catalan flags”: https://www.politico.eu/blogs/playbook-plus/2017/12/brussels-bathed-in-catalan-flags/
- Lavanguardia.com, “Puigdemont y la manifestacion en bruselas…”: http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20171207/433469092074/elecciones-catalanas-manifestacion-bruselas-anc-omnium-puigdemont-jordis.html
- Lesoir.be, “45.000 indépendantistes catalans manifestent à Bruxelles”: http://www.lesoir.be/128211/article/2017-12-07/europe-honte-toi-45000-independantistes-catalans-manifestent-bruxelles-direct#
- Eu-logos.org, “Catalonia: the right to self-determination and the rule of law”: http://www.eu-logos.org/?p=21049
