MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2020) Catalan independence supporters have vandalized a section of high-speed railroad, Spain's state-owned railroad infrastructure manager Adif said on Monday, the same day as a planned official visit to the region by Spain's King Felipe VI.
"Service on the high-speed line between Girona and Figueres has been disrupted due to vandalism. An alternative plan is being established for travel on this route," Adif wrote on Twitter.
According to images circulated on social media, protesters placed burning tires on sections of the line, coupled with posters displaying a crossed-out crown.
The disruption has taken place on the same day that Spain's Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are set to visit the region. Initially, the royals were scheduled to visit Barcelona, although a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Catalonia saw the itinerary curtailed. The two members of the royal family will instead pay a visit to the Poblet monastery in the province of Tarragona.
Demonstrators are expected to travel to the monastery in protest against the visit of the Spanish monarch to the region.
Catalonia has mounted a sustained campaign to achieve independence from Spain. In an October 2017 referendum, which Madrid called illegal, over 90 percent of voters supported Catalonia's independence.
