Catalan secessionist protesters stage "sit and talk" demo as PM Sanchez visits Barcelona

Record ID: 1437826

  • Title: Catalan secessionist protesters stage "sit and talk" demo as PM Sanchez visits Barcelona
  • Date: 21st October 2019
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING CATALAN ANTHEM AS THEY HOLD SIGNS READING IN ENGLISH "SPAIN: SIT AND TALK"
  • Embargoed: 4th November 2019 13:56
  • Keywords: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Barcelona Catalonia protests Catalan separatists
  • Location: Barcelona, SPAIN
  • City: Barcelona, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA002B21J9L3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Hundreds of secessionist staged a sit-in protest outside Spain's government delegation in Barcelona on Monday (October 21) to demand Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talk with Catalan regional leader Quim Torra.
    Sanchez visited Barcelona after the city was hit by seven consecutive nights of sometimes violent protests following the jailing last week of nine Catalan separatists found guilty of sedition over their role in leading a failed 2017 drive for independence.
    Ahead of his visit to meet with security forces and police officers injured in the protests, Sanchez accused Catalonia's regional president Quim Torra of failing in his duty to protect public safety and to ensure a harmonious co-existence between the pro- and anti-independence camps.
    In a toughly-worded letter sent early on Monday, Sanchez said Torra had "turned his back" on the security forces and he reiterated his demand that Torra must forcefully condemn the unrest.
    Torra said in a statement at the weekend he had always condemned violence and criticized the prime minister for shunning dialogue.
    The regional government said Torra had requested a meeting with Sanchez during his visit to Barcelona, but it was not clear if this would happen.
    (Production: Jordi Rubio, Luis Felipe Fernandez, Silvio Castellanos)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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