Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont confirmed that he had left Spain and was currently in Brussels, according to Catalan media.
Puigdemont, leader of the Together for Catalonia (JuntsXCat) party, returned to Spain on Thursday, 8 August, after nearly seven years abroad to reiterate his commitment. He confirmed via social media that he was staying in Waterloo, where he has been living since 2017.
After giving a five-minute speech to thousands of pro-independence supporters, Puigdemont left the stage and no one has seen him since. His lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, confirmed that the pro-independence leader had already left Spain and would “address the citizens in the coming days.”
The intention was to become Catalan president, attend the debate, come to Barcelona, and adjust the tactics based on the circumstances. What he had to do was demonstrate that he was not afraid to enter Spain.
The secretary general of JuntsXCat, Jordi Turull, confirmed that the politician had been in Barcelona since Tuesday, two days before his arrival in the city centre. According to Turull, despite fleeing, Puigdemont intended to enter parliament. However, in the face of an “unprecedented security operation” and given that “his safety was at risk,” the leader decided to leave again.
Operation Cage
After leaving the scene, the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, failed to arrest Puigdemont despite launching Operation Cage and setting up checkpoints at the exits of Barcelona and at the border with France.
The former president reacted to the police attempts in a post on X social media platform.
“Let no one think that all this is just because of the events of this week. If anyone thought that by putting me in prison they would already be satisfied and be more condescending, they are completely wrong. The narrative we are beginning to see would be exactly the same, perhaps less rabid and more paternalistic, but with identical strategic intentions: to trap us and leave the way free for the flattening of all national claims.”
He has also noted that action by the authorities to capture him is ongoing.
Another Cage operation is underway. It is the second phase, which they had already planned in the event that I was imprisoned: the encirclement of independence, its isolation and the media stigmatisation to present it as expendable and annoying in the strategy of the great tour of sheet intended for the tripartite agreement.
Lawyer Boye denies having any agreement with the Catalan police to arrest Puigdemont. He explained that the Mossos offered them such an option, but they refused. Puigdemont also mentioned that the Catalan police were “hunting” for people who helped him.
“I feel sorry for the people that are receiving the anger of politicians and police who know that they did not rise to the occasion.”
Meanwhile, the Mossos d’Esquadra reported the arrest of a police officer believed to have helped Carles Puigdemont flee the city. After the speech, the leader of Catalans in favour of secession from Spain disappeared into the crowd.
During the course of this march and taking advantage of the number of people surrounding him, he fled the place in a vehicle that the Mossos tried to stop but were unsuccessful.
