the threat was worked in Barcelona for days. But the angry separatists not succeeded on Friday, their announcements come true, the city and the Rest of Catalonia paralyze. As planned, the waterfront began in the Morning in the old stock exchange building close to the first meeting of the Spanish Cabinet in the Catalan city.
Hans-Christian Rößler
Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, with its headquarters in Madrid.
F. A. Z.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Ministers wanted to demonstrate with your trip to Barcelona, how seriously they are taking the wishes and demands of the Catalans. But for many supporters of an independent Republic, this gesture meant only a further humiliation by the Central government, that the Council of Ministers met, of all places, on the anniversary of the regional elections in Barcelona. 21. December 2017, had won the separatist parties in the majority in the regional Parliament.
The representatives of the “oppressive state, visited his colony”, were not welcome, announced the largest separatist organization, the ANC. The “Committee for the defence of the Republic” (CDR) called on their followers to make Catalonia on Friday “ungovernable”. With the old Slogan “No pasarán” (“they will not come through”) to summon the past. So the battle cry of the Republicans was from the Spanish civil war. Protected by nearly 10,000 police officers, were able to enter the members of the government, their seat location, without major difficulties, and leave – even if in the Morning, at one time, more than 20 roads and highways were blocked in Catalonia and the clashes between security forces and demonstrators arrived, there were several arrests.
Conciliatory Gestures
The list of Cabinet decisions recalled an early Christmas gift. Something for everyone was. Sánchez was started with lots of promise, but redeemed to date a few of them, such as the reburial of the dictator Francisco Franco. The government decided, more than 100 million euros for the construction of roads in Catalonia. The airport of Barcelona, will in future bear the name of Josep Tarradellas; he was in the years of the dictatorship, Catalan exile of President and then as the first regional President. In addition, the Council of Ministers decided to increase the minimum wage and the salaries of Officials in the whole of Spain, as well as the sexual criminal law reform.
