Two hundred people gave an emotional send-off outside the Sants railway station in Barcelona to the Catalan parliamentarians who have been summonsed to appear before Spain's Supreme Court in Madrid on Thursday and Friday.
The gathering was called by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), and although it was then called off shortly afterwards following a request from the MPs themselves, many Catalan independence supporters congregated at the Sants station to await the arrival of the MPs. Among them was the Catalan MEP Ramon Tremosa, of the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), who came in a personal capacity.
Shortly after five in the afternoon Catalan MPs Anna Simó (Catalan Republican Left) and Joan Josep Nuet (Catalonia Yes We Can group) arrived at the station to a clamorous and affectionate reception from those who had gathered, including chants of "You are not alone". The two MPs, both members of the Catalan parliament's presiding bureau, went directly through to the platform for the high speed train to Madrid.
ANC vice president Agustí Alcoberro wanted to express the pro-independence group's support for the MPs. "The ANC stands beside our legitimate government and the Catalan Republic," he tweeted.
Translation: Strength and courage, Carme Forcadell, Parliamentary bureau, Oriol Junqueras and ministers. You are not alone! The ANC stands beside our legitimate government and the Catalan Republic. — Agusti Alcoberro
Tension from Spanish nationalists
On the fringes of this gathering, a group of Spanish nationalists—about a dozen people — situated themselves at the passenger departure gates and verbally abused Simó and Nuet with the intention of disrupting their farewell. With shouts of "It must be defended, this is our land" or the frequent "Long live Spain, long live Catalonia", the extremists showed their support for the imprisonment of the members of the bureau and the two independence leaders already in custody in Madrid, Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart, presidents of the ANC and Òmnium respectively.
The presence of the Spanish nationalists provoked condemnation from the independence supporters, some of whom shouted insults to the group of extremists, who were separated from them quickly by agents of the Catalan Mossos police.
Later, the Mossos asked the Spanish nationalists to move outside the station, from where they farewelled the Catalan MPs called to face a Madrid court with chants of "Have a good time!"