About 170,000 people marched in Madrid on Saturday in the largest protest yet against a law granting amnesty to Catalans involved in a failed attempt to break away from Spain, which Spanish socialists agreed to in order to form a government, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The demonstration, the latest in a series of protests in cities across the country against the amnesty, came two days after Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez secured a new four-year term in office with the support of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties in exchange for the approval of the law.
The protesters, many of whom waved Spanish flags and held signs reading "Sanchez is a traitor" and "Don't sell Spain," opposed the law, which four judicial associations, opposition political parties and business leaders said threatened the rule of law and the separation of powers.
Authorities estimate the number of demonstrators at 170,000.
The publication notes that Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), and Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, also took part in the march organized by civilian groups.
After the rally, hundreds of people protested on the highway near the Moncloa Palace, the prime minister's residence in Madrid. The A6 road was closed for about an hour during the protest, but later reopened after police cleared the area.
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Sanchez, who won support in a parliamentary vote to form a new government on Thursday with 179 votes in favor and 171 against, defended the law, saying the amnesty would help defuse tensions in Catalonia.
Protesters have held noisy demonstrations outside the Socialist headquarters in Madrid for 15 consecutive nights since the announcement of the deal. There have been clashes with police, which resulted in injuries to officers and demonstrators, but in general the protests have been peaceful, the newspaper said.
In a Metroscopia poll conducted in mid-September, about 70% of respondents, 59% of whom were socialist supporters, said they were against the idea of an amnesty.