Thousands of Catalans Protest Jailing of Leaders

Protesters in Lleida, located in the west of Catalonia, gathered on November 2 to protest the detention of eight Catalan leaders following a court ruling that last month’s independence referendum was illegal.On Placa de la Paeria, 3,000 people called for the ministers to be freed. Among those held include former Deputy Vice President Oriol Junqueras and Interior Minister Joaquim Forn. Protesters also denounced the Spanish authorities’ decision to issue an arrest warrant for deposed President Carlos Puigdemont, who had fled to Brussels.The leaders were detained for rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.Protests in a number of Catalonian cities took place that night. Outside the Catalonia Parliament in Barcelona, citizens held up flags and slogans reading “Freedom for political prisoners,” according to the BBC. Credit: Twitter/judite90 via Storyful