Defying an arrest warrant against him, former Catalan independence leader Carles Puigdemont He appeared at a rally in Barcelona on Thursday after seven years of self-imposed exile and then disappeared, prompting a frantic police search for him.
Faced with a heavy police presence, Puigdemont spoke to a crowd of thousands of supporters in the Catalan capital from a platform near the Catalan Parliament, telling them he was aiming to revive the independence drive that plunged Spain into a political crisis in 2017.
“Today many people thought they would celebrate my arrest and thought that this punishment would deter us (…) and you,” he said.
When he finished speaking, Puigdemont left backstage, after which the police and the media were unable to locate him.
The search for his whereabouts caused traffic chaos in Barcelona and near the border with France, as police set up roadblocks and searched car trunks.
Puigdemont, 61, fled to Belgium seven years ago after failing in their attempt at independence and has lived in exile ever since. He is the subject of an arrest warrant for alleged embezzlement, which he denies.
His supporters hope his return will rekindle enthusiasm for the Catalan independence cause, which has lost support in recent years.
Senior members of his Junts party, including Parliament Speaker Josep Rull and members of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), which currently heads the regional government, led a march towards the Catalan Parliament after the rally.
The debate to invest the socialist Salvador Illa as the new president of Catalonia, putting an end to a decade of separatist government, It began in a context of confusion and speculation about Puigdemont’s whereabouts and how he could have disappeared from view.
A spokesman for the Catalan Interior Ministry confirmed that Puigdemont had evaded capture. “I can confirm that Puigdemont has not been arrested yet”said.
A Supreme Court spokesman declined to comment on Puigdemont’s disappearance in Barcelona. A government spokesman did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Puigdemont’s lawyer.
Risk of jail
On Wednesday, Puigdemont had announced that he had begun his “return journey from exile,” saying he remained committed to attending Thursday’s session of the regional parliament, which meets to swear in the region’s new leader following elections in May in which Puigdemont’s Junts party came second.
His arrest could jeopardize the fragile alliance between the national government and Junts, on which it depends for legislative support.
In the morning, a crowd of thousands of people had gathered near Parliament to welcome him and listen to him speak.
Several police vans were in the vicinity after the CDR protest group called on its members to attend the rally.
“It represents the return of a symbol”said Xavier Vizcaíno, 63, wrapped in a pro-independence flag. Facing the risk of being imprisoned, Vizcaíno said he was unclear about Puigdemont’s intentions, but he hoped that his return would provide a boost towards independence.
“I hope it will be an incentive to help the movement recover energy and effort”he said. “I want to believe that there is a well-structured plan behind his return.” The vote to invest the socialist Illa, who will have the support of the left-wing separatist party ERC Following a bilateral agreement last week, it started an hour later.
Socialists hope to take control in Catalonia After a decade of pro-independence government, turn the page on the campaign for independence.
The Spanish Congress approved an amnesty law in May to pardon those involved in the failed secession attempt in 2017, But the Supreme Court upheld the arrest warrants against Puigdemont and two other people also accused of embezzlement, ruling that the amnesty law does not apply to them.
The embezzlement charges were related to the 2017 independence referendum, declared illegal by the Spanish courts. Puigdemont insists that the referendum was not illegaland that, Therefore, the charges against him are unfounded.
Wearing a T-shirt and waving a flag with Puigdemont’s face and the slogan “No se rinde”, Susana Masnou, 41, He described his return as an act of “democratic disobedience” to ensure that the amnesty law is applied to him.
“He is a very brave man, with convictions, who risks his life to bring the country forward,” he said.
