October 2019
In October 2017, a referendum was held in the Catalan region of Spain to vote on independence. The referendum, declared illegal by the Spanish government, was met with a brutal police crackdown, sparking protests by Catalan Separatists and Spanish Nationalists. Political leaders of the Independence party were charged with sedition, causing their leader, Carles Puigdemont, to flee Spain and establish himself as a member of the European Parliament.
In October 2019, the Spanish government sentenced the Independence Party politicians to prison for sedition, sparking new protests and clashes with police. In July 2021, the Catalan leaders were pardoned.
The sentencing of pro-independence leaders in Catalonia has ignited new tension in the region, plunging cities like Barcelona into protests and riots once again.
