The images of police violence on the day of Catalonia's independence referendum went around the world. They were also seen in Madrid, where hundreds of people went out to demonstrate on the afternoon of October 1st, 2017, in solidarity with the Catalans who had been battoned and bashed that day by Spanish police. After filling the iconic Puerta del Sol with Catalan estelada flags and pro-republican banners, an extreme right group appeared who tried to destroy the protest. However, no arrests were made that day. It was not until months later that six of the people who had demonstrated in support of Catalan independence were arrested at their homes, charged with crimes of causing injury and public disorder with the aggravation factor of "hatred". Now, as El Punt Avui reports, more than four years after the referendum, two of them will have to pay the price of having shown solidarity with Catalonia: three years and eight months in prison.
This was decided by a court in the Spanish capital, which in its judgment convicted two of the six protesters on trial: one for the crime of causing injury and the other for causing minor injuries in conjunction with an offence against fundamental rights, and they are also ordered to compensate two of the extremists who stormed the peaceful rally that was being held in support of the Catalan referendum. The right-wing extremists brought a private prosecution in the trial, which was conducted by the lawyer seen defending one of the right-wing attackers in the Blanquerna case. The other four protesters arrested on trial were acquitted. The two convicted have already announced that they will lodge an appeal against the sentence, as they disagree with the facts that were declared proven in the judgment.
Unjustified identifications
In April 2019, it became known that these six youths from Madrid, aged between 20 and 22 when arrested, were facing up to five and a half years in prison for participating in the rally. In addition, the court imposed bail of 17,000 euros for each, sums that they were unable to assume, as they themselves acknowledged. The pro-independence political parties and organizations sought to support them when this news emerged, as they themselves had done with the Catalan people in October 2017.
According to a statement issued by the accused, during the demonstration, a series of "random and unjustified" police identifications took place, of both participants in the rally and ordinary passers-by. Those now convicted reported that this was a calm demonstration until the extremists tried to enter the square with flags and provocations. Despite this, the police took no action and the ultras continued attempting to provoke until they realised they were making no impact on the 8,000 people gathered in the Puerta del Sol that day.
Before the referendum, demonstrations had already been called throughout the state to support the Catalans on the 1st October. In Madrid, however, there was even the creation of the group "Madrileños por el derecho a decidir" weeks before the self-determination vote. This group organized an event at the end of September 2017 that was not able to be held at the Madrid city council of the capital, but took place in a theatre in the Lavapiés neighbourhood.