This Tuesday's police operations against the Committees for Defence of the Republic, with a number of detentions and two members being accused of rebellion and terrorism, has led to another day of demonstrations around Catalonia in support of the suspects and against the repression. In Barcelona, thousands of people have gathered in plaça de Sant Jaume, in front of the city hall and the Catalan government palace, carrying banners reading, for example, "I am CDR" and "Release political prisoners".
During the protest, shouts like "you fascists are the terrorists", "with Franco that did happen" and "out Spanish injustice" could be heard. Also heard was support for investing Carles Puigdemont as president of Catalonia and, in reference to the repression of last year's independence referendum, "1st October, neither forgotten nor forgiven".
The fact that the demonstration was in front of the Catalan government palace also provoked shouts against the suspension of Catalan autonomy like "Out, palace squatters" and "the [Catalan] Parliament chooses our president". Some protesters also shouted at the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) guarding the palace, reminding them that interior minister Joaquim Forn is in prison.
Nonetheless, the demonstration took place without any kind of disturbance and, at some moments, there were some festive scenes, including singing both Lluis Llach's l'Estaca and Els Segadors, the Catalan national anthem.
The new protests follow a day of police operations against the Catalan Committees for Defence of the Republic (CDR). On the one hand, the National Audience court ordered the arrest of two CDR members accused of rebellion and terrorism; on the other hand, the Mossos d'Esquadra detained six other members who took part in the protest against the failed investiture of Puigdemont in January. The two operations were unrelated, but come at a time when the state has put the focus of attention on these organisations, set up by members of the public, which have led many of the recent protests against the repression of the Catalan independence movement.
As well as Barcelona, other cities have seen gatherings, including Girona, Tarragona, Lleida, Girona, Mataró, Viladecans, where one of the CDR members was arrested, and Solsona, where a number of people were arrested over the protests in front of the Catalan Parliament on 30th January.