#englishnews #Spainprotest <br /><br />News Article :-<br />Tens of thousands of people marched through Barcelona on Sunday to protest against plans to grant Catalan separatists an amnesty in exchange for their political support for a new left-wing government.<br /><br />Many of the protesters waved Spanish and Catalan flags or signs saying "No Amnesty!" as they flooded into the city center.<br /><br />Police said the crowd was 50,000 strong, while organizers — Societat Civil Catalana (SCC), a civil society group opposed to the region breaking away from Spain — put the figure at 300,000.<br />Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez' of the Socialist bloc is trying to secure a new term in office and must strike a deal with the Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya parties to gain enough parliamentary support.<br /><br />Jailed separatist leaders, activists would be freed<br /><br />The amnesty deal would see charges dropped against more than a thousand Catalan separatists who are facing legal action for the 2017 independence bid. Many of those involved are already in jail.<br /><br />The proposal has drawn a furious response from the right and the far-right, as well as from some within Sanchez's own Socialist party, who say an amnesty cannot be used as a bargaining chip for him to remain in power.<br /><br />Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the opposition conservative People's Party and Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party attended Sunday's march, telling the crowd:<br /><br />"This is not an amnesty that seeks reconciliation. The only thing it seeks is to make [Sanchez] the head of the government."<br /><br />Abascal denounced the plan as "an assault on the Constitution," accusing Sanchez of carrying out "real abuses" in order to stay in power.<br /><br />Inconclusive election led to months of wrangling<br /><br />Spanish politics has been in limbo since the inconclusive election in July.<br /><br />The People's Party won the most seats but even with the support of Vox failed to secure a parliamentary majority.<br /><br />Despite months of subsequent negotiations, Feijoo was unable to gain the support of smaller parties to form a governing coalition.<br /><br />This week, King Felipe VI gave Sanchez permission to seek the backing of other political parties for a new mandate.<br /><br />To win the parliamentary vote, he needs the backing of seven lawmakers from a hardline Catalan separatist party that has demanded the amnesty.<br /><br />Sanchez has defended his conciliatory policy with Catalonia, including a 2021 pardon to nine jailed leaders, and said the 2017 crisis "brought nothing good."<br /><br />Most Spaniards against amnesty<br /><br />But the amnesty deal doesn't have the support of most Spaniards, according to a poll last month.<br /><br />Around 70% of respondents — 59% of them Socialist supporters — said they were against the idea of an amnesty.<br /><br />If no candidate for prime minister secures a majority by November 27, a repeat election has to be called.
