Right-wing protests against Spanish amnesty for Catalan nationalists turn violent

A wave of violent protests against the Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez and his efforts to form a new government is starting to dominate the political agenda.

In recent days, demonstrators have gathered each night outside the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Madrid to protest against its negotiation of an amnesty law that would benefit hundreds of Catalan nationalists.

“They attack the same constitutional values and the democracy which they claim to defend and which they don’t stop violating,” Mr Sánchez, who is acting prime minister, posted on social media.

Last week, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), which governs the north-eastern region, agreed with the Socialists on the terms of an amnesty law that would drop legal charges pending against nationalists involved in a failed secession drive in 2017.

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The Together for Catalonia (JxCat) party of former regional president Carles Puigdemont is still locked in talks with Socialist representatives on the content of the law. The discussions have been held in Belgium, where Mr Puigdemont has been living since leading the independence bid six years ago. He is among those expected to benefit from the amnesty.

If the two sides reach a deal, then Mr Sánchez will have enough support to win an investiture vote and form a new administration, which he must do by November 27th to avoid an election. In September, the leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who won the July election, failed to form a governing majority.

On Tuesday, about 7,000 people, according to authorities, took part in a protest against the amnesty outside the Socialist Party building in central Madrid. Twenty-nine police officers and 10 protesters were injured when the demonstration turned violent, as far-right groups got involved. Some protesters made fascist salutes harking back to the era of dictator Francisco Franco.

That followed similar demonstrations in Madrid and other parts of Spain over the last week, during which Socialist Party buildings were vandalised and daubed with graffiti. Another protest in Madrid was planned for Wednesday night.

The far-right Vox party has encouraged the demonstrations, with some of its leaders taking part and encouraging police officers deployed to them to disobey orders from their superiors.

The PP, meanwhile, has faced criticism from the left for failing to take a clear line on the protests. Having initially blamed the unrest exclusively on the acting prime minister, on Wednesday, Mr Núñez Feijóo changed tack somewhat, saying that “violence has no place in democracy and must always be rejected”.

However, in a reference to the amnesty being negotiated, he added: “We do not accept sermons from those who ... want violent acts to go unpunished.”

Mr Sánchez said: “If these tragic, frustrating and outrageous days we are seeing teach us anything, clearly it is the need for [a new Socialist government].”