Thousands rallied on Tuesday near the European Parliament in Strasbourg to demand that three Catalan separatist lawmakers be allowed to take their seats after they were elected to the EU legislature in May
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) Thousands rallied on Tuesday near the European Parliament in Strasbourg to demand that three Catalan separatist lawmakers be allowed to take their seats after they were elected to the EU legislature in May.The gathering of the Council for the Republic, a separatist movement headed by the Spanish region's former leader Carles Puigdemont, drew some 10,000 people, according to El Pais newspaper.
Puigdemont and two fellow pro-independence politicians � Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras � did not show up for the opening session on Tuesday fearing arrest.
Spanish media said the trio are in Germany. They fled Spain where they are wanted on sedition and other charges for their role in Catalonia's 2017 bid for independence.
In a video address, Puigdemont promised to fight for his right to seat on the European Parliament and urged the new convocation to shift away from the predecessors' course toward "repressions and curbs on democracy."
Parliament speaker Antonio Tajani told the three politicians last week they would not be able to join the legislature for a new term because they were not on the list submitted by Spanish authorities, which will only confirm their right to represent the country if the three take oath in Madrid in person.
