Catalan Separatist Leader Avoids Police on First Return to Barcelona Since 2017
Carles Puigdemont lived in Belgium after leaving Spain seven years ago, and his recent whereabouts were unknown until his public appearance.
Spanish police initiated a manhunt on Aug. 8 for ex-Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, who returned to Barcelona after seven years in exile.
Puigdemont had previously announced his intention to be in Spain on this day, when Catalonia’s Parliament swears in a new president, despite an outstanding arrest warrant against him.
The 61-year-old initially resided in Belgium after leaving Spain in 2017, but his current location remains unknown.
Puigdemont carefully concealed his movements before arriving in Catalonia, where he addressed a crowd of supporters in central Barcelona.
Although police were present at the event, they made no attempt to apprehend the wanted fugitive.
During his speech, Puigdemont accused Spanish authorities of cracking down on the movement for Catalonian secession.
“For the last seven years, we have been persecuted because we wanted to hear the voice of the Catalan people,” he stated.
Puigdemont emphasized that “all people have the right to self-determination.”
After speaking, Puigdemont disappeared into a nearby marquee and quickly left in a waiting vehicle.
Catalan police, however, arrested one of their own officers for allegedly aiding Puigdemont’s escape.
Authorities had set up a cordon near the regional Parliament, where the former regional president was expected to go after his address.
Puigdemont faces charges of embezzlement related to his involvement in an attempt to make Catalonia an independent nation in 2017.
As regional president and separatist party leader at the time, he played a central role in an illegal independence referendum that Spain’s national government opposed, causing a months-long political crisis.
Return an ‘Unbearable Humiliation’
The leader of the Popular Party criticized Puigdemont’s return, calling it an “unbearable humiliation” and stating that it damaged Spain’s image.
The government in Madrid brokered a deal between Salvador Illa’s Catalan Socialist Party and the leftist separatist party Esquerra Republicana to garner support in Catalonia’s Parliament for Illa to become the new regional president.
Speaking to Catalan parliamentarians, Illa called for reconciliation, respect for Spain’s amnesty bill, and vowed to govern for all of Catalonia after years of division between separatists and those who wish to remain part of Spain.
An amnesty bill approved by Spain’s Parliament earlier this year is being challenged by the Supreme Court, arguing that it does not apply to embezzlement charges against Puigdemont.
If arrested, Puigdemont could face pretrial detention.
Throughout his career, Puigdemont has advocated for Catalonia’s separation from Spain and the creation of a new nation on the Iberian Peninsula, causing political conflicts with Madrid and divisions among separatists in Catalonia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
