Catalan leader vows for “peaceful resistance”

The Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, released a video message on Saturday vowing to build a “free country”.

In the pre-recorded message, Puigdemont condemned the suspension of Catalonia’s autonomy.

“We must do so resisting repression and threats, without ever abandoning, at any time, civic and peaceful conduct,” he said.

The video message was in response to him and his cabinet being formally removed from their posts, with their powers and responsibilities being taken over by the central government.

In the television statement, Puigdemont described Friday as “a day with democratic and civic sensibility”.

He went on to say the central government’s actions since had been “premeditated aggression” that ran “contrary to the expressed will of the citizens of our country, who know perfectly well that in a democracy it is parliaments that choose, or remove, presidents”.

“We continue persevering in the only attitude that can make us winners. Without violence, without insults, in an inclusive way, respecting people and symbols, opinions, and also respecting the protests of the Catalans who do not agree with what has decided the parliamentary majority,” he added.

This Sunday will see a march by those in support of remaining part of Spain. According to government reports, the remain party has swelled in recent months. 

Alex Ramos, vice-president of pro-unity group Societat Civil Catalana, said: “We think there will be a lot of people who will want to show that they don’t agree with that kind of unilateral, illegal declaration. It has only served to create division. People want to express themselves, and our slogan is ‘We’re all Catalonia’,”

“A lot of the people who turned out were Catalans who’d never been on a demonstration before, people who’d been silent for a long time. But that day, they wanted to express themselves and say that they were both Catalan and Spanish.”