Barcelona, August 08, 2024, The Europe Today: On Thursday, Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan president and prominent separatist leader, made a dramatic return to Barcelona after seven years of self-imposed exile. His arrival marks the first time he has set foot in Spain since fleeing the country in the wake of a failed independence bid that has left him the subject of an arrest warrant.
Puigdemont’s return has sparked significant attention and tension within Catalonia. According to Catalan state broadcaster TV3, police have launched a widespread operation to locate and arrest Puigdemont. Officers have reportedly been deployed throughout the region, conducting vehicle checks, with at least one arrest made in connection with the car used by Puigdemont to leave a previous event.
Addressing a crowd of thousands of cheering supporters in Catalan, Puigdemont took to the stage flanked by officials from his hardline separatist party, Junts. He passionately defended the right to self-determination and the legitimacy of holding a referendum, despite ongoing legal challenges.
“Despite them wanting to damage us, I have come here today to remind them that we are still here,” Puigdemont declared, receiving a rapturous response from the crowd. “We don’t have the right to give up because the right to self-determination belongs to the Catalan people. It will never be a crime to hold a referendum.”
Puigdemont’s return coincides with a session of the regional parliament where a new regional leader is set to be sworn in following May’s elections, in which Puigdemont’s party finished second. In a video posted on social media, Puigdemont condemned the threat of arrest, stating, “That in order to do so I would risk an arbitrary and illegal detention is evidence of the democratic anomaly that we have a duty to denounce and fight against.”
The situation remains fluid as the Spanish authorities intensify their efforts to apprehend Puigdemont, whose return has rekindled the contentious debate over Catalonia’s push for independence.
