Spanish Protests Against Catalan Amnesty Deal Escalate
- People’s Party stages demonstration against planned law
- Socialist leader needs Catalan support to form next government
Protesters on Puerta del Sol square in Madrid.
Photographer: Oscar Del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images
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Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Madrid and other major Spanish cities to protest against acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez‘s plans to grant amnesty to hundreds of Catalan separatists involved in a failed bid for independence.
The demonstration, called by the conservative opposition People’s Party, sought to increase the already intense pressure on Sanchez. He is set to seek a new term in a parliamentary vote this month after securing a deal with a separatist Catalan party that gives him a majority in return for the amnesty.