Philip VI arrives in Barcelona for the Barcelona New Economy Week awards ceremony.
Supporters of Catalonia’s independence staged a protest in Barcelona on Friday against the visit of King Philip VI of Spain. The demonstrators plan to line up a long chain from the French station to the Columbus monument.
The organiser of the rally is the separatist organisation, the Catalan National Assembly, which has been supported by other movements. The aim of the demonstration is “to make it clear to Philip VI that he is not welcome here and that Catalonia has no king”.
The monarch has arrived in Barcelona for the Barcelona New Economy Week awards ceremony.
On Thursday evening, actions were held in some localities of the Autonomous Community, with participants burning photographs of Philip VI expressing their dissatisfaction with his trip to Catalonia. The King’s visit to Barcelona took place shortly after the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that Kim Torroux, head of the region’s Cabinet, should be barred from holding public office, thus losing his status as Chairman of the Autonomous Community Government.
In addition, on 1 October, protests were held in Catalonia to mark the anniversary of the illegal referendum on independence in 2017. Last October, a Spanish court delivered a verdict in the case of separatist politicians involved in the organisation of the plebiscite and sentenced them to terms of up to 13 years in prison. Some of those involved in the case were found guilty of sedition and embezzlement.