Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THOUSANDS OF ANGRY protesters have turned out on the streets of Barcelona after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to heavy jail terms over the failed 2017 independence bid.
As the news broke, demonstrators flooded the streets of Barcelona before marching towards El Prat, Spain’s second busiest airport, where they briefly choked-off road and rail access, an AFP correspondent said.
At the entrance to the airport, police charged at protesters trying to get inside, while the AENA airport authority said some 20 flights had been cancelled.
Outside, traffic was at a complete standstill up to five kilometres from the airport, with many travellers with suitcases getting out and walking as a police helicopter flew overhead.
Since the early hours, police have been braced for what activists pledged would be a mass response of civil disobedience.
“I feel very affected by the sentence even though I expected it. I feel fury and a sense of powerlessness,” said Joan Guich, a 19-year-old maths student who was protesting on Gran Via.
“They have been convicted for an ideology which I agree with.”
‘An outrage’
The 12 defendants were put on trial in February for their role in the banned 1 October 2017 referendum and the short-lived independence declaration that followed it.
The harshest sentence of 13 years was handed to former Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras who served as the main defendant in absence of Carles Puigdemont, the region’s leader who fled Spain to avoid prosecution.
In a tweet from Brussels, Puigdemont denounced the sentences as an “outrage”.
“100 years in all. An outrage. Now more than ever, by your side and those of your families. It is time to react as never before,” he wrote.
And in a letter released today, Junqueras said the story was far from over.
“Nothing ends today, you neither win nor convince,” he wrote in remarks directed at Spain’s central government.
“We will come back even stronger… and win.”
Spain’s government has expressed hope the trial’s end would allow it to move on from the crisis in the wealthy northeastern region, where support for independence has gained momentum over the past decade.
“Following the Supreme Court decision we need to turn the page… through dialogue,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, speaking in English.
But shortly afterwards, a judge issued a new international arrest warrant for Puigdemont, a clear indication Spain would not rest until he and five others who fled abroad had been tried for their role in the crisis.
‘These are good people’
The separatist movement is hoping the guilty verdicts will unite their divided ranks and bring supporters onto the streets.
“It is time to rise up against the authoritarian fascism of the Spanish state and its accomplices,” tweeted the radical CDR as thousands heeded the call to protest.
Many said they’d taken the day off to protest a sentence they knew would be harsh.
“I’m not surprised but I still feel really outraged. These are good, peaceful, honest people,” said Carles Navarro, a 49-year-old IT consultant.
“We have always looked for a peaceful way (to express our demands) but nobody listens. Now we’re forced to resort to civil disobedience.”
Huge crowds also blocked Gran Via and halted rail traffic this evening while hundreds of people stormed the rail tracks, halting four suburban lines.
The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, the region’s two biggest grassroots pro-independence groups behind some of the biggest separatist protests in recent years, have also called an evening rally.
Barcelona Football Club also weighed in, tweeting: “Prison is not the solution. The resolution of the conflict in Catalonia must come exclusively from political dialogue.”
Junqueras’ leftwing ERC party, which advocates dialogue with Spain, has said no negotiations would be possible without an “amnesty” for “political prisoners and those in exile”.
In the coming days, demonstrators will march from five towns towards Barcelona where they will congregate on Friday, when a general strike has been called.
Well done Colorado. I would rather see people happy and stoned than angry and drunk……
I like people happy and drunk.
Of course you do Jack
Join rehabs for trying to make drugs cool. If you’re all so in favour of it reveal your true identities!
We’re talking marijuana here, not cocaine or heroine.
Don’t be afraid! Reveal yourself! But no you won’t because you’re just poo talking pot heads.
It’s not armed robbery ye fool it’s smoking a reef…
Regulating all cannabis industries is a fantastic move for Irelands economy.
What are you on Joe?, oh I forgot its closing time, time for pisshead logic!.
Joe I’m in favour of it. If you’ve done your research you’d see there are an astounding amount of reasons why it should be legalised. The only reason that props up for the downside is people who liken cannabis to heroin or coke.
We should legalize, regulate and tax it in Ireland using the same model they’re using in Colorado
Definitely. We should definitely not wait to see if it’s effective, rather let’s just have a knee jerk reaction. It’s the only way. Sure what could go wrong?
Not going to happen for a good while yet. Still too backward in this country.
It’s bad enough that we have a nation full of pi$$heads without them going around stoned out of their heads as well.
Disagree Conor. I don’t trust Irish people to be responsible with it. They’ve shown they have little self control with intoxicating substances and this would be no different.
Until we’ve solved our existing problems with substances, I would be extremely hesitant.
What works in Colorado won’t necessarily work here.
Tom, decriminalisation has already worked in several places. And before they made it illegal, people in the US were able to pay their taxes in pot..
It’s a much more unnatural and problematic situation to have it classed as an illegal drug.
Just watch as there are scrambles by vested interests to try and create problems where there are none with these initiatives, after all – it is ENTIRELY because of corporate vested interests that it was made illegal in the first place.
But they do anyway Bruno, except it’s bought on the black market! We might as well make it legal and tax it, just like alcohol and cigs!!
It can’t get more common and if it cuts down on our major problem with Alcohol then it will be a blessing.
If alcohol has though us anything it is that people Irish people cannot control themselves when it comes to their use of recreational drugs. Legalise Cannabis and half the country will be walking around in a zombie like state within a month.
Not really a fair argument Liam, you dont personally know everybody in ireland so you cant make a blanket statement like that. Secondly, it not really a trust issue, its about health, pot is non toxic and just plain safer than alcohol. There are thousands of pot smokers in ireland and i still have yet to see pot smokers cause violence/vandalism trouble outside pubs and clubs and clog up A&E’s around the country at weekends like drinkers do…..
Thats makes no sense???? Are you saying that half the population will suddenly give up work/ college/ family and become full time pot smokers???? Alcohol is a legal rec. drug and most people still act responsibly and balance it….
I havent seen any zombies in Amsterdam, colorado, or washington st….. have you?
Those who would buy pot for recreational uses are already doing so. They’re just buying an untaxed and unregulated product.
This is unfortunately funding people that we all – tokers and anti drug campaigners alike – would prefer to see without this source of income.
Cause Amsterdam hasn’t been around long enough?
Typical :) You can’t control yrself so I’m not allowed. B%#ch please!
^response to Liam post
na
Well it’s worked pretty well in Amsterdam up until now
@ Kieran Flub Fanning. You do know that things have changed in Holland, don’t you?
Have they? Everyone I know who’s been there recently and (judging by the photos on Facebook) are there at the moment are having no trouble getting served in the coffee shops..
Yes, for tourists. Business same as usual for residents. Oddly enough there has been no negative effect on society there. No increased drug problems, no increased crime… Imagine that!
And pretty much reverted back to the way it was before… Business as usual…
Would also ease pain for many, instead of popping 10 meds a day of god knows what from big Pharma.
Aunty s , would be swinging her hips if it happened here. Reduced crime income
Once they pop a few dope pills they’ll be snuffing heroin up there nose every day
Slippery slope
Lol – it’s a pity that is essentially the extent of drug education in this country.. Poorly informed and based entirely upon assumption rather than evidence..
Don’t see a problem with it
It’s a dirty drug that sucks users of any ambition or drive. I have a cousin who does nothing but sit around and get stoned all day watching crap on his computer.
Statistically the majority of users are in high level employment or 3rd level education.
You’re cousin is gonna be doing nothing with his life regardless if he’s stoned or drunk
Dead right, some on here seem to think that the legalisation of cannabis is going to solve all the nations problems…
Well it’s not, unless your a brain dead stoner whose ambition in life is to live in cloud cuckoo land.
Darth care to actually cite these statistics?!
Legalising pot has far more benefits than just recreational..
It’s a medicinal product, it’s nutritional, it grows fast and the plant can be used to manufacture pretty much anything except metal and glass.
You can make fabrics (see Mings lovely suit?), building materials (save on trees that take longer to grow – thus saving forests), biofuels, biodegradable plastics (how much benefit to our environment would that yield?), paper (again – think of the environmental impact) – are you getting the picture yet?
But by all means, keep preaching your reefer madness based ignorance..
Ye Darth, didn’t think so.
@Shanti you make all that stuff with hemp not with cannabis.
And what, pray tell Jesco – *is* hemp?
Jesco a simple goigle search will provide all you need.
And are you aware that cannabis and henp are one and the same plant?
Jesco, is it possible that if cannabis is legalized, regulated and taxed that your cousin would get up off his arse, get a job to pay for it? Because in this country, I’d say it’d be expensive so the only people who will be able to pay for it, are the workers.
My point is that you can manufacture products using hemp without legalising cannabis to get the country whacked out of their minds.
I think you have to look at the bigger picture, yes for a long time it may not prove to be a good thing and you will have the regular users abusing it even more but the problem is not actually with the drug itself but more so to do with the drug culture i.e. young people buying it from older dealers and not knowing where it was grown, how strong it is etc… If it is regulated and categorized into different strengths (like alcohol) then awareness will hopefully prove to be a positive force.
Personally I don’t consume it any more as in my youth I did over do it and developed cannabis psychosis which was not a nice experience at all. Doctors told me that it was because I have a naturally high level of dopamine production and as cannabis encourages dopamine production that I actually overdosed my brain which started causing bad hallucinations and made me more aware of my elevated heart levels which then led to panic attacks… I must stress however that I was smoking heavily on a daily basis.
On the other side of that, infrequent use does make the mind highly creative and some of the greatest, songs, books, movies, inventions were dreamt up by people who used cannabis. Steve Jobs from Apple in his younger days was a frequent user of pot and I’m sure with a bit of research you could find many other iconic figures that owe a fraction of their achievements to the use of pot or some other so called dirty drug.
And I think it is very biassed Jesco White to base your conclusion of the negatives/benefits of a naturally growing plant on the antics of your cousin.
@ Shanti …You should be embarrassed after that, the last sentence really displays the cringe worthy irony… tool!
Congratulations, rather than refute you skipped straight to the personal attacks. Well done, you win the Internet :)
It is amazing how alcohol is so accepted when it kills hundreds of thousands all over the world every year…..ZERO marajuana deaths every year…….laughable to be honest.
Zero deaths from marajuana every year? It’s a while since I last heard of the reps from Heineken & guinness taking each other in turf warfare
And yet we have out “leaders” “debating” this issue and ending up with “i smoked a joint once and got an awful whitie and spent two hours on the big white telephone to god therefore I feel that this evil weed is blah blah blah gateway blah blah meth blah blah blah injecting into your groin on the Lisa blah blah blah blah smelly hippies blah blah robbing your grannys false teeth for a joint zzzzzzzzzzzzzz” lets go to the bar…
Would that not be negated by legalising it?
My comment was directed at Glen btw
A new holiday spot ! Sweet!!!!
Too right, Cannabis Cup 2014 here I come :)
Are ya listening Edna?
He only listens to Angela.
I listened.
Your voice sounds like mine and it was in my head.
Weird.
It’s weird that, because there are many places in Germany where you can purchase cannabis just like in the Netherlands.. They tend to be the parts closer to the Netherlands – but there are coffee shops in Germany..
Any educated person knows this is the way forward. Weed has so much positives but propaganda and ignorance makes it out to to be the bogey man. Sick of “all these drugs are bad”shite..all the legal and taxed drugs are just fantastic for you arent they? You are free to do as we tell you.
Seems like a very good idea once its strictly controlled and kept well away from the minors.The dirty drink is a lot more destructive than the old herbs.
lucky bastarrds !
The dependency they’re referring to is just exacerbated by the fact that every time a minor is caught with weed in most states the judge overs them the choice of treatment or jail. In other words total BS
Whats this? Common sense coming from ‘Muricia? I never thought I’d see the day.
Fair play to them.
Smart decision there, sense to be had in Colorado.
weed the writing on the wall
reduce the use of alcohol…
Rocky mountain HIGH,
These comments just go to show what a nation of pot heads we are
You sound like a lad who needs a joint,
Hey hey hey! What are you trying to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Starvin
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Well that would be a good thing would it not? Our body’s are set up to receive cannabinoids, hence the fact there are specific receptors in the nervous system for it..
It’s a far more unnatural state to be without the stuff..
Yeah, you just keep on smoking’ there, Shanti. Amazing the mad sort of stuff you’ll believe / make up.
Bruno Shanti is correct and you sir need to educate yourself before commenting the usual bullshit rhetoric.
Do you know cannabis can cure certain cancers – I doubt it. But then, why would you, you ignorant mouth piece.
But when you do figure it out, maybe you will then see why it is kept illegal for the vast majority of us. God forbid someone you love will need cannabis one day to help their condition, whatever it is.
What part of my statement do you take issue with Bruno?
Do you not realise that there are sites in your brain which are activated and deactivated by cannabinoids (such as those found in cannabis)??
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoid_receptor
Forgive the wiki – purely intended as a starting point for you to do some research and educate yourself out of the abject ignorance you are displaying here.
Yeah Bruno, just keep believing the horseshit that the mainstream media have been shovelling for years, whereas shanti is stating scientific fact, our bodies are designed to receive cannabinoids and flax seeds , as a preventative for cancer, bowel disorders and many other disorders, nothing comes close, its a shame that so many people still have their heads up their asses where facts are concerned!.
Its amazing how ignorant and uneducated people . . .go back to looking at page 3 of the Sun and drinking your cans if you cant keep up on the comments section
If ur stoned u might let slip who u really are!?
^ @ Just Chief Now
Cannabis oil. The ignorant on this subject need to read up on it. Aside from all the hemp products the medicinal side alone should speak volumes of how important this plant is. I am an avid supporter of it, I know it works because I use it. Pharma companies would be a thing of the past. No more taking poison to combat the poison the doctors prescribe.
excellent common sense coming from america at last. maybe now they build better cars and I wont have to drive german anymore
Free the weed
Shanti seems to be one of the many who understands the actual good this God given plant can provide and we have countless governments and C.E.O’s of big pharma co’s who would rather keep us in the dark.Reason being they cannot patent it,therefore no profits to be had.So what do they do..Ban it,make it illegal.IT IS A PLANT GIVEN TO US BY NATURE.If they could they would try to stop the rain falling
Hard to believe it’s happening in such a right wing country! im damn jealous too! Logic in action is a great thing.
Great way to get the stoners to pay taxes. I wonder can we do the same with jerking off?
There goes the neighbourhood
Now on my must see holiday list!
Well done Colorado! The first domino has fallen, the rest of the world are watching closely and when they see that the sky doesn’t fall and there’s so many benefits to be acheived by ending cannabis prohibition, they’ll follow suit.
Join Students for Sensible Drug Policy if you want to help change these archaic laws.
http://www.facebook.com/SSDPIreland
Thought they weren’t due to open until April 20th.
I wish Irish politicians in the main parties would look into the many benefits of doing this. Instead, al we have got is the very uneducated comments from all the mainstream parties to Ming Flanagan’s bill.
If Ireland had a referendum on following Colorado’s model I think many people would be surprised at the % in favour. Let’s do it !!
Ireland loves soap bars.
Would like to see a review on this in 6 months!
So am I, an employment boost, increased tax revenues, a drop in the level of violent crime & domestic abuse and so many other benefits to be acheived.
The only way forward is clubs for swingers ,with special offers for newly weds
This is good.
There’s too much propaganda out there about how this is a great drug. It’s not that great ya know. It has been known to have some serious side effects.
Could you please list some that are conclusively linked to cannabis and cannabis alone?
Google Side Effects of Cannabis. I’m not your teacher or doctor.
But… between 20% and 30% of users experience anxiety attacks after smoking cannabis. That’s huge.
Some heavy users start experiencing anxiety attacks after they stop taking cannabis for a while, which might suggest some sort of long term chemical changes to the brain.
Jack I get anxious if there’s no bacon in the morning. I’m pretty sure the delicious bacon has had some long term effect on brain making me constantly enjoy bacon.
Nice to know you are campaigning against legal bacon.
Smoking cannabis can cause an overproduction of insulin, causing a temporary hypoglycaemic reaction as the blood sugar levels drop. This contributes to the ‘whitey’ experience. A feeling of disorientation and uncertainty. Also provoking hunger as the body looks to replenish sugar levels – The Munchies’. It is not dangerous, but can be unpleasant. A handful of jelly beans or a few slugs of lucozade will help.
Just came back from the shops with skips, perri spicy rings and terry’s chocolate orange minis. That’ll satisfy me.
I had an anxiety attack about 10 years ago. I couldn’t breath properly and my heart was beating really really fast and I thought I was going to die. I collapsed on the floor. It lasted for about 3 or 4 minutes then it took me hours to fully recover. I felt exhausted after it. I hadn’t taken cannabis or anything. Hasn’t happened since thank god. I’ve heard of people regularly getting them. That would be a living nightmare.
Taking cannabis is like playing Russian Roulette with your mental health. Personally I wouldn’t want to risk getting another anxiety attack. I got one without cannabis.
Of course everyone gets little mini mini anxiety attacks all the time like “Oh dam I left the immersion on. Ahh”
I get anxiety attacks from caffeine, as do many people I have learned.. Caffeine is in many freely available products such as coca cola, tea, solpadeine, coffee – and in high doses can be lethal – but it’s legal..
You can have anxiety attacks if you’re running low on vitamin B as well.
With regards mental health – did the evidence not show that in persons predisposed to mental illness cannabis *could* act as a trigger? Because this is not the same as “playing Russian roulette with your mental health”.
We have, on the other hand, a far more toxic and dangerous product, legal, regulated and on sale to adults who are made very aware of the consequences.
They can purchase alcohol by % of volume, they know that the drinks they buy come from manufacturers who have quality control.
When it comes to cannabis (and for the record – most other illegal recreational drugs) the majority of harms come from the fact that they are buying from the black market. No quality controls leads to contaminations, people being unaware of what exactly they are getting – or how strong it may be. When you hear of deaths it’s usually with the caveat of there being a “dodgy batch” going around.
Prohibition doesn’t work, regulation is the only sensible way to go. For the sake of public safety, and taking the revenue away from criminal gangs, not to mention free the Gardaí to do what they’re actually paid to do – protect people from crime (as opposed to protecting them from themselves).
How would you know Jack ? If you have not took canabis and had a severe anxiety attack ?
Maybe you should try cannabis for your condition.
@fred whitey’s! Brilliant,just make sure you’re sitting down.
Your dead right Jack…. you most certainly are not a doctor or teacher! Simply telling people to google side effects is a poor argument. Alcohol causes brain, liver, kidney and nerve damage, regularly induces vomiting and occasionally death and is still socially acceptable so you gotta do better than a little anxiety
Their building houses out of hemp in Scotland called hempcrete its a carbon neutral house that plant has some amazing properties.
Ha ….. Love the picture of the 3 guys in the suits …. Still couldn’t look more like stoners !!
I wonder how ‘high’ the prices are.
have your say