Thousands in Barcelona decry Puigdemont capture

Thousands of Catalans are gathering in downtown Barcelona to protest the detention of fugitive former president Carles Puigdemont in Germany.

Protesters are rallying in front of the office of the European Commission in Barcelona and organizers plan to march to the German Consulate.

There was another similar protest in the northern city of Girona, where Puigdemont was mayor before he became regional president in 2016.

A grassroots group in favor of Catalonia staying a part of Spain called for another gathering at the same time in Barcelona to show their support for the Constitution in front of the office of the Spanish government’s representative in Catalonia.

Puigdemont was detained by German police Sunday who were executing an international warrant issued by Spain on Friday. He was returning from Finland to Belgium, where he fled following an illegal declaration of independence by the Spanish region in October.

— AP