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Former President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont appeared in Barcelona this Thursday and stormed into an event organized by his followers without being arrested and having spent nearly seven years on the run from Spanish justice for holding a referendum on self-determination in October 2017, which was declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, and the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia.

Puigdemont arrived accompanied by the leaders of his independence party, Junta de Catalunya, and He made his way among his followers shouting “Independence”. onto a stage set up in front of the famous Arc de Triomphe in Barcelona, ​​from where he addressed those present.

“A country that has an amnesty law and one that does not have an amnesty has a democratic problem,” he said, referring to a law recently approved for Catalan independents that came into force on June 11. However, The warrant for his arrest remains in effect.

Puigdemont assured that in politics there is no right to refuse self-determination, since this right belongs to the people and is collective: “Holding a referendum is not and will never be a crime.”

“Today many are thinking of celebrating my arrest and they will think that contempt will dissuade us and will dissuade you; that in order to teach, it is worth breaking the law approved by your parliament,” he added and declared that the amnesty should serve literally to return to politics what should never have left politics.

After his short speech, which lasted just over five minutes, thousands of people who greeted him accompanied him on his way to the regional parliament, where Investiture session of socialist Salvador Illa scheduled as the new autonomous president of Catalonia.

Puigdemont did not appear at the plenary session. despite the fact that he was elected as a deputy on May 12 in regional elections, in which his party won 35 seats, making it the second regional force.

Salvador Illa to be proclaimed president of Catalonia’s regional government with the support of the ERC Republicans, Puigdemont’s former partners.

(according to information from EFE, Europe Press And Aristegui News)