Three weeks before the elections in Spain, the head of the government Pedro Sanchez faced, Sunday, October 20, the sharp criticism of the right that calls for exceptional measures in Catalonia, where the tension however decreased significantly Saturday night after several nights of urban guerrilla .
Cries of "Long live Spain", hundreds of people gathered in front of the headquarters of the Catalan government in Barcelona, at the call of the liberal party Ciudadanos. "I would like the government of my country to defend all citizens (...) against those who cut roads, in front of those who applaud violence," said his leader Albert Rivera asking Madrid to dismiss the independence president Catalan Quim Torra.
The streets of Catalonia are in turmoil since the condemnation last Monday of nine separatists, mostly former members of the regional government, to terms ranging from nine to 13 years in prison for this secession attempt.
"A government overwhelmed by events"
A new demonstration convened by an independentist movement in front of the prefecture of Barcelona was held Sunday at the end of the day in calm. In total, nearly 600 people have been injured in the violence since Monday. A policeman was still Sunday in a "very serious state" and a protester in a "critical state", according to the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau.
"What must happen more in Catalonia to restore order? (...) They fire Barcelona ... They do it every night," launched in front of his supporters in Toledo the leader of the Party Popular (right) Pablo Casado, in a speech with accents of electoral campaign while approach the legislative elections of November 10.
"It takes a government that can predict what is happening, not a government overwhelmed by events," he added.
An end of inadmissibility for Torra
"There is no possible dialogue with those who make Catalonia burn," he said earlier in an interview published by El Pais, in reference to Quim Torra who asked Saturday Pedro Sanchez to open "unconditional negotiations".
Pedro Sanchez, who came to power in June 2018 thanks to the voices of pro-independence deputies, rejected Quim Torra's refusal and demanded that he unambiguously condemn the violence and recognize that half of the Catalans do not want to secede. from Spain.
According to a survey published in July by the Catalan government, 44% of the inhabitants of the region are in favor of independence while 48.3% are opposed to it.
Five nights of trouble
After five nights of unrest, particularly violent Friday night, Catalonia has finally found a relative calm on Saturday. Only 14 people had to be taken care of by the emergency services throughout the region, against 182 on Friday.
>> Read also: Chaos in Barcelona after a monster event
Born out of the frustration of a part of the independence base after the failed secession attempt of 2017, the violence marked a turning point for the separatist movement, which has always boasted of being non-violent.
With AFP