MEMBERS of parliament will take part in an open-air protest this weekend as Scots gather for a show of support with Catalonia .
Hundreds of people are reported to have been injured by police over almost a week of mass demonstrations in Barcelona, Girona and beyond as Catalonia reacted to the jailing of 12 pro-independence leaders.
Former vice-president Oriol Junqueras and Carme Forcadell, the speaker of the Catalan parliament, were among those given lengthy jail terms over the 2017 independence referendum.
While it delivered an independence majority, Madrid says the ballot was illegal and the 12 men and women were jailed for crimes including sedition and the misuse of public funds following a trial at the Spanish supreme court.
READ MORE: George Kerevan: The EU's silence is deafening as Spain reacts to Catalan protests
The news drove huge crowds on to the streets in what became a general strike and a week of protest in which hundreds have been injured. Journalists observing and documenting the events were among those left requiring medical treatment as police raised batons against those present.
Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez spurned Catalan president Quim Torra on a short visit on Monday.
Yesterday, Torra renewed calls to Madrid to open talks on self-determination, saying: “No one will ever bar this country from continuing to advance in line with what its citizens want. We will always defend the right of self-determination in Catalonia.”
On Saturday, Scottish supporters will gather in Glasgow at noon in a show of solidarity. MPs Ronnie Cowan and Paul Sweeney will be among the speakers at the George Square event, which is backed by the Unison trade union.
“Pro-democracy” group Catalan Defence Committee Scotland has condemned “violent attacks” by Spanish police on Catalan protesters. Appealing for support from across the political divide, the group said: “This protest is to demand the release of all political prisoners and to defend democratic rights.
“Whether you are Yes, No, Leave or Remain, this protest is for anyone who supports the right to vote free of violent repression, supports the right to self-determination and who opposes the clampdown on dissent.”
READ MORE: Catalonia: Spanish propaganda video criticises Scottish politics
Inverclyde MP Cowan, of the SNP, visited three of those convicted last week and Glasgow North East MP Sweeney, of Labour, said the response of the Spanish state “can be best described as a massively counterproductive act of repression”.
The Catalan issue is expected to remain live as Spain nears its general election next month.
Carmen Calvo, Spain’s deputy prime minister, has accused Torra of lying to the public over the potential for independence, saying: “They told them the split was possible, that the right to self-determination exists in a democracy like Spain, which is a total lie. There’s no right to unilateral separation in this democracy nor any other.”
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