Tens of thousands of people protested across Spain on Sunday against acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s plans to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for support for another term in office.
The government secured a deal with Catalan separatist party Junts on Thursday which includes passing a contentious law granting amnesty to those convicted over Catalonia’s attempt to secede from Spain in 2017.
The deal sent shockwaves around the country, with Sanchez’s conservative opponents accusing him of putting the rule of law on the line for his own political gain.
Authorities said 80,000 people turned out in Madrid while the PP, which had called for protests in cities across Spain, put the total closer to one million.
Many held Spanish and EU flags, as well as banners with slogans including “respect the Constitution”.
In Barcelona, local police said 6,000 people demonstrated, while numbers reached 30,000 in Granada and 50,000 in Seville according to authorities. Other protests took place in cities including Malaga, Palma and Valencia.
