The huge banner directed against the Spanish king which a group of anonymous activists hung in Barcelona's Plaça Catalunya in the early hours of Friday morning has been used as a news focus by a considerable number of international media covering the first anniversary of the 2017 Catalonia terrorist attacks.
For the whole duration of Friday's homage to the attack victims, the banner remained in place, covering four large windows of one of the upper floors of a Plaça Catalunya building with an upside-down portrait of the monarch Felipe VI and beside it the message 'The Spanish king is not welcome in the Catalan countries'.
The message appeared in the background of many images of the event held in the central Barcelona square at which king Felipe was present, together with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, Catalan president Quim Torra, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and other authorities.
Among the press that highlighted the banner in their coverage were leading French media such as Libération, L'Independant and France 24, noting how the banner had been "unveiled" before the homage to the victims of the attacks:
Barcelone : une banderole contre le roi déployée avant l'hommage aux victimes des attentats https://t.co/zXctujP7ft pic.twitter.com/h8DZ1NYBxQ
— Libération (@libe) 17 of August 2018
#Barcelone : une banderole contre le roi déployée avant l'hommage aux victimes des attentats https://t.co/JFUQfIRC6R
— The Indépendant (@lindependant) 17 of August 2018
Anti-king banned unveiled in Barcelona ahead of attacks ceremony https://t.co/1Sbq7Lu1xE pic.twitter.com/AZlNoDmdZ2
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) 17 of August 2018
Le Figaro, RT France and Ouest France also pointed their cameras at the banner:
Il y a un an, #Barcelone était touchée par un attentat terroriste https://t.co/husJkxqjAy
— Figaro Live (@Figaro_Live) 17 of August 2018
Translation:
A year ago, Barcelona was hit by a terrorist attack.
Catalonia attacks, one year later: Barcelona has paid homage to the victims of the Catalonia terrorist attacks in the presence of the king of Spain
Attentats de #Catalogne, un an après : une banderole et une manifestation contre le roi #FelipeVI #Espagne
— RT France (@RTenfrancais) 17 of August 2018
https://t.co/Ry56WWcWzd pic.twitter.com/TQEkjwzN9A
Catalonia attacks, one year later: a banner and a protest against king Felipe VI of Spain
Attentats en Catalogne. Une banderole contre le roi d'Espagne déployée https://t.co/V6S0Li2kwf pic.twitter.com/BeJRFK5dhE
— Ouest-France (@OuestFrance) 17 of August 2018
In Italy, the story appeared on public TV network RAI and in the national news agency ANSA.
#Barcellona un anno dopo l'attacco terroristico sulle Ramblas. Striscione contro il Re di Spagna: "Non è benvenuto in Catalogna" → https://t.co/I3KNDuwyW6 pic.twitter.com/gBhjYcnh3H
— Rainews (@RaiNews) 17 of August 2018
Barcelona a year after the terrorist attack on the Ramblas. Banner against the king of Spain: "He is not welcome in Catalonia".
Omaggio attacco Barcellona, re sgradito https://t.co/hB8QnU6NKN
— Col·lectiu Emma (@CollectiuEmma) 17 of August 2018
Tribute to Barcelona attack, king unwelcome. So says the message of a banner posted last night on the top floor of a building overlooking Plaza Catalunya
The Belgian public broadcaster RTBFinfo, together with other headlines from around the world such as Channel News Asia and The Daily Star Lebanon also carried the news using the report made by the AFP international news agency.
Barcelone: une banderole contre le roi déployée avant l'hommage aux victimes des attentats https://t.co/Xj2W5IlO15
— RTBF info (@RTBFinfo) 17 of August 2018
Anti-king banner unveiled in Barcelona ahead of attacks ceremony https://t.co/65NZLbLhhK
— The Daily Star Lebanon (@DailyStarLeb) 17 of August 2018
Anti-king banner unveiled in Barcelona ahead of attacks ceremony https://t.co/KBu1zHd49P pic.twitter.com/Pti3rQjsDI
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) 17 of August 2018
Meanwhile, Bloomberg wrote a story which does not use the banner directly, but does however focus on the controversy of the king's visit to Barcelona, in the context of the events of the last year. Bloomberg refers to the king as a "divisive figure" and mentions Felipe's "hardline speech" of October 3rd 2017, which it says "alienated many Catalans."
Felipe VI of Spain is about to revisit of one of the most uncomfortable moments of his reign https://t.co/JjI1QuXzcC — Bloomberg (@business) 17 of August 2018