Spain: Thousands of people demonstrate against amnesty law for separatists

Highlights: Protesters demonstrate in Madrid against the proposed law. The bill is expected to be passed in the next few days. It is the second attempt to pass the bill after the first failed in January. The opposition wants to challenge the law in the Supreme Court. The law would not apply to Catalonia, which declared independence from Spain in 2013. It would only apply to the rest of the country, not to the region as a whole. The Spanish government has said it will not back down from the law.

The final draft of Spain's amnesty law is in place. Catalan activists are therefore also protected from accusations of terrorism. Critics are once again protesting loudly in Spain's capital.

Enlarge image

Protests in Spain: Hundreds of demonstrators marched with flags to Plaza Cibeles in Madrid because they rejected a planned amnesty law.

Photo: Luis Soto / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO

In Madrid on Saturday, thousands of Spaniards protested against the planned amnesty law for separatists.

They paraded through the center of the capital, waving Spanish flags and singing patriotic songs.

They demonstrated primarily against the collaboration of the minority government under the socialist Pedro Sánchez with Catalan parties that are seeking secession from the rest of Spain.

"As far as the Vox party is concerned, there will be no ceasefire or peace with this government," the head of the right-wing populist Vox party, Santiago Abascal, announced to reporters.

Sánchez's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) agreed on Thursday with two Catalan nationalist parties on the revised amnesty law, which is expected to be passed in parliament this month.

In return, the separatists want to help the government gain a parliamentary majority.

The bill is also strongly opposed by the largest opposition party, the conservative People's Party (PP).

If necessary, the opposition wants to go to the highest court

This is the second attempt for the amnesty law.

At the end of January it did not receive a majority in parliament.

Ironically, the party of Catalonia's former regional president Carles Puigdemont voted against the bill, which was intended to benefit Catalan independence activists in particular.

For the Junts party, the text did not go far enough as, in their view, it did not guarantee impunity for Puigdemont.

The scope of the amnesty has been expanded for the new draft, which is still to be voted on.

Puigdemont would actually be the beneficiary.

He declared the region independent in 2017 after a controversial referendum and thus broke away from Spain.

The central government in Madrid then accused him of rebellion and embezzlement of public funds, disempowered the Catalan regional government, ordered new elections and put Puigdemont on a wanted list.

He went abroad and now lives in Belgium.

If Parliament approves the second version of the amnesty law, it must be approved by the Senate.

However, in the event of the expected negative Senate vote, the law can be finally passed by Parliament in a new round.

The opposition has already announced that it will challenge the amnesty law in the Supreme Court.

alw/Reuters

Spain: Thousands of people demonstrate against amnesty law for separatists

If necessary, the opposition wants to go to the highest court

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