Thousands protest in Madrid against government’s Catalonia policy
Opponents see independence moves as betrayal aimed at splitting Spain
Madrid — Thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid on Sunday against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s proposed talks to ease political tensions in Catalonia, in a protest organised by centre-right and far-right opposition parties. Demonstrators waving Spanish flags filled the Plaza de Colon in the city centre in the largest protest Sanchez has faced, with their slogan “For a united Spain, elections now!” a reminder of the pressure on his minority government. The socialist government’s proposal last Tuesday to appoint a rapporteur in talks among political parties to address the Catalan independence crisis galvanised the opposition, which has deemed it a betrayal and a surrender to pressure from Catalan separatists. The opposition has called for early elections. Sanchez, who replaced a conservative government last June, holds just a quarter of the seats in parliament and relies on backing from anti-austerity party Podemos, Catalan nationalists and other small parties to pass la...
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