Carles Puigdemont's internationalisation of the Catalan issue seems to be gathering momentum. The exiled Catalan president will visit Finland after his stay in Switzerland this week, travelling to Helsinki from 22nd to 24th March. He is currently in Geneva, taking part in a number of events related to human rights.
Welcome to Finland Mr. President @KRLS. #Catalonia pic.twitter.com/1MJuGxQtfE
— Mikko Kärnä (@KarnaMikko) 19 mars 2018
Whilst last week the president already challenged the Spanish state announcing a 4-day-long trip to Switzerland, his longest stay outside Belgium so far, now Puigdemont will double down on the pressure with a new trip within Europe.
A Finnish MP, Mikko Kärnä announced the trip via a press statement he shared on Twitter.
Puigdemont in Finland
The president will take part in two events in Helsinki during his stay, to last until Saturday. The first will be held in the Finnish Parliament on Thursday 22nd, the president having been invited by an inter-parliamentary group called Friends of Catalonia. On Friday, he will give a lecture on the situation in Catalonia at the University of Helsinki.
Kärnä announced the events in his press statement in which he also celebrated the planned visit. Kärnä, an MP representing Lapland, described Puigdemont as a "champion in defending freedom, democracy and human rights in Europe".