2000 People Protest Against King’s Visit To Barcelona

THE INFLUX of people has caused the traffic on Diagonal Avenue -one of the entrances to the city- to be cut off.

The demonstrators carried saucepans which they clashed together in a pots-and-pans banging session to the beat of their jeering chants “away with the Spanish flag” “Catalonia has no King” and “away with Bourbon”

Some 2,000 people took part in the demonstration last night (Sunday) held in front of the Palace of Congresses of Catalonia and the Juan Carlos Hotel on Diagonal, protesting the arrival of King Felipe VI and in anticipation that the royal family were spending the night in that hotel.

Security was high in the area in foresight of the protests, the side section of the Diagonal, near the Palace of Congresses, was shielded with fences and further surrounded by Mossos d’Esquadra vans, whilst a police helicopter flew over the area.

The demonstration against the visit of King Felipe VI to Barcelona, which has brought together several hundred people, began around 20:30 hours and ended shortly after 22:00 hours, no incidents have been recorded.

The demonstration which forced the B-23 road in Esplugues to be cut off, subsequently caused traffic jams in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, as reported by the Catalan Traffic Service.

It is expected that the Royal Family will participate today (Monday) in the awards ceremony of the Fundació Princesa de Girona (FPdGi) in Barcelona. The protestors have called for a rally to commence at 16.30 p.m., in front of the building.

It’s expected that the radical independents will take to the streets mid afternoon to block access to the Palace of Congresses of Catalonia, where the events are due to begin at 18:30 p.m. The intention being to collapse access to the area, hinder the arrival of the Royal Family and guests, forcing a large security deployment.

The delivery of the Princess of Girona Awards is the debut of the heiress to the throne and it also the King’s first visit to Catalonia after the sentence of the process .

Both in the Casa del Rey and in the Princess of Girona Foundation, the slogan is “work with absolute normality” To hold the event “at all costs”, since the scenario of cancelling the visit and the prize giving “would be a catastrophic failure of the state, which would then be in free fall”.

As has been quoted using the words of the Romantic-era English poet Lord Byron: “A thousand years may scare form a state. An hour may lay it in ruins.”

 

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Cristina Hodgson

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