BARCELONA: Catalonia’s deposed leader Carles Puigdemont has called for separatists to unite in a December election called by Spain to try to avert a disputed push for the region’s independence.
Puigdemont’s rallying cry came a day after a Spanish judge issued an arrest warrant against him, with prosecutors seeking to charge him with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds over his secessionist drive.
“The time has come for all democrats to unite. For Catalonia, for the release of political prisoners and for the republic,” he said on Twitter.
The 54-year-old has been holed up in Belgium since Monday and ignored a summons to appear before the judge in Madrid, saying he wants guarantees he will receive a fair trial.
The judge issued the European arrest warrants late on Friday for Puigdemont and four of his allies who are also in Belgium, to force them to return to Spain.
The Belgian public prosecutor’s office confirmed on Saturday it had received the warrants, saying a decision would happen within 24 hours of them appearing before a judge.
But the authorities said any appeals process could last for up to three months.
“The EU Framework Decision provides that the final decision must be taken within 60 days, with an extension to 90 days under exceptional circumstances,” the Belgian Justice Ministry said in a statement.
The warrants have further fueled separatists’ anger and frustration after deposed members of Puigdemont’s government who did not flee to Belgium, including his deputy, appeared before a Spanish judge on Thursday and were detained pending a possible trial.
Protesters in the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region have held frequent demonstrations, chanting and waving Catalan flags, calling for their release.
Spain’s worst political crisis in decades flared up after the regional Parliament in Catalonia voted to proclaim an independent republic following a referendum on Oct. 1 that was declared illegal by the country’s Constitutional Court.
The central government responded by dismissing Puigdemont’s executive, imposing direct rule on the region and calling fresh elections in Catalonia on Dec. 21.
Puigdemont said on Friday he was ready to run as a candidate in the poll and on Saturday called for separatist parties to form a united front.
In his tweet, he referred to an online petition calling for the creation of a combined independent candidate list, which by Saturday had received more than 14,000 signatures.
Puigdemont’s PDeCAT party has been in power in Catalonia for much of Spain’s modern democratic era.
Separatist parties have 72 seats in the 135-seat parliament but PDeCAT is seen running fourth or fifth in the December vote according to opinion polls.
“It’s absolutely indispensable that we have a joint strategy to battle the repression,” Sergi Sabria, a spokesman for the separatist ERC party, told Catalunya Radio, in a sign the two main parties could work together.
Whether Puigdemont and his colleagues in Brussels, Maria Serret Aleu, Antoni Comin Oliveres, Luis Puig Gordi and Clara Ponsati Obiols, will be able to take part in the election is an open question.
The Belgium Justice Ministry said there are “some situations” where European arrest warrants can be refused, but added: “If the decision is to execute the (warrant), the person is in principle surrendered to the authorities of the issuing state within 10 days following the decision.”
Puigdemont has repeatedly called on the international community to back him, but apart from Scotland’s separatist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon criticizing the “jailing of political opponents,” there are no signs that other countries will recognize the independence move.
Spain’s allies in Europe have voiced steadfast support for the nation’s unity and said they back the independence of the judiciary.
The 7.5 million people of Catalonia, which until this past week had considerable autonomy, are fiercely proud of their language and culture but are also deeply divided about the wisdom of independence.
Even though Catalonia is one of Spain’s wealthiest regions, Spain’s Central Bank has warned of a possible recession and unemployment in the region rose strongly in October.
Despite the negative economic headwinds, Peter Ceretti at the Economist Intelligence Unit said pro-independence parties might win the December election, as the jailed ministers could deliver an “important propaganda” boost.
Deposed Catalan leader urges separatist ‘unity’ for vote
Deposed Catalan leader urges separatist ‘unity’ for vote
Dense toxic fog shrouds Delhi as air quality hits severe levels
- Danish badminton star withdraws from India Open due to Delhi’s air pollution
- Air quality worst since the peak winter smog season in November last year
NEW DELHI: Residents of Delhi woke up to hazardous air quality on Sunday as a thick blanket of toxic smog and fog engulfed the Indian capital region, pushing air pollution into “severe” levels for the first time this year.
Home to 30 million people, Delhi has not recorded a single “clean air” day since September 2023, with Air Quality Index readings hitting high above the 50 score throughout the past two years.
On the AQI scale from 0 to 500, good air quality is represented by levels below 50, while levels above 300 are dangerous.
Based on Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall AQI was around 439–444, with several stations across Delhi reaching almost 500 — the worst since the peak winter smog season in early November.
The air quality is so bad that a Danish badminton star, Anders Antonsen, withdrew from the ongoing India Open, saying the city was not fit to host the tournament. Antonsen, who is the discipline’s No. 3, said in an Instagram story that the decision was due to “extreme pollution.”
While the athlete chose to pay a $5,000 fine rather than spend a few days in Delhi, its residents are left with little choice but to endure its toxic air.
“To protect myself, I use an N90 mask and drink lots of water. Still, in the first week of January, the smog impacted me with a bad throat and cold, hitting me badly. You are always exposed and risk your health,” said Akriti Chaudhary, a student activist in Delhi.
“The situation is worse for those people who live in the industrial area of Delhi and don’t have the luxury of green cover. They suffer a lot. Different parts of the population suffer differently, but the fact is that all suffer one way or another.”
For Dr. D. Raghunandan, a climate expert and member of a newly launched citizen initiative, SSANS, which acts as a pressure group to urge the government to act to improve air quality, the pollution has already become unavoidable.
“You just have to live with it. There is no way you can avoid it. Like 90 percent of Delhi’s population can’t escape it. Those who have a lot of money can stay indoors with air purifiers,” he said.
“We are concerned that not much is being done to contain the problem. What little is being done is cosmetic. You just have a few small water guns going around the city on tempos and spraying water.”
He compared Delhi’s problem to what China’s capital faced before.
“Look at the way the badminton event has panned out. Gradually, the pollution will start hitting. Ten years ago, Beijing was worse than Delhi in air pollution. And many large companies and corporations decided to leave Beijing,” Raghunandan told Arab News.
“Do you think those guys are going to stay in Delhi? If the pollution stays like this, they’ll move out.”
