Catalonia: Large-scale manhunt “cage” for Puigdemont in Barcelona

The Spanish police have launched a large-scale manhunt in Barcelona under the code name “Cage” to catch the Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. Roadblocks have been set up on all major roads leading out of the Mediterranean metropolis. Police officers checked every vehicle trying to leave the city, as was shown on the state TV channel RTVE. In some cases, the trunks were checked and motorcyclists had to take off their helmets. The search is being carried out for a white car, reported the newspaper “El País”, which spoke of surreal scenes.

Puigdemont appeared in the center of Barcelona that morning after almost seven years in exile. Surrounded by leading politicians from his Junts party, he walked unmolested through the streets and saluted left and right. The police, who were on site with strong security forces, did not intervene, although there is an arrest warrant against the 61-year-old. Puigdemont had secretly fled the country in a car after an illegal independence referendum in 2017 and the subsequent failed secession.

Short speech to supporters

Puigdemont then gave a short speech to several thousand supporters in the immediate vicinity of the regional parliament, where the election of socialist Salvador Illa as the new Prime Minister of Catalonia was imminent. “Today I came here to remind you that we are still here because we have no right to give up,” he said, referring to his fight for Catalonia’s independence from Spain.

“We have no interest in living in a country where the amnesty laws do not grant amnesty,” Puigdemont added, referring to the judiciary’s refusal to apply the amnesty granted to separatists to him.

Meanwhile, the session for the election of Illas began in parliament. Illas would be the first regional head of government in Catalonia in years to support the wealthy region remaining part of Spain. Puigdemont had announced that he wanted to attend the parliamentary session. That was his democratic right as an elected representative. But instead of going to parliament after his speech, he disappeared into the crowd. According to media reports, the police had concentrated on preventing Puigdemont from entering parliament. Even tunnels under the parliament building were checked.

Speculation about Puigdemont’s whereabouts

However, Puigdemont was no longer visible on television shortly after the speech and Spanish media were left wondering where he could have gone. The leading members of his party walked calmly and wordlessly through the crowd towards parliament, but Puigdemont had already gone into hiding. The fact that he is threatened with arrest despite an amnesty law for separatists is due to the controversial interpretation of the law by the judiciary.

The amnesty law excludes cases of personal enrichment from exemption from punishment. Although Puigdemont is not accused of having pocketed public money, the investigating judge Pablo Llarena accuses him of personal enrichment. The argument is that he used public funds instead of his own money for his illegal political goals in the 2017 independence referendum, and that this amounts to personal enrichment.

Illa’s party emerged as the strongest force in the early elections in May, but needs the support of the left-wing separatist party ERC, which was achieved through concessions on financial issues and the promotion of the Catalan language. However, if there is no new government by August 25, new elections would have to be held. In his candidacy speech in parliament, he promised to strengthen Catalonia and advocated the full application of the amnesty to separatists.