Catalonia sees second general strike in a month
Unions, civic organizations and political parties sign up to stoppage demanding release of imprisoned Catalan officials
Catalonia sees its second general strike in just over a month on Wednesday, November 8, after the Spanish Superior Court in Catalonia ruled on Tuesday that the stoppage could go ahead. It is the second such protest in little more than a month, after the successful general strike on October 3 to protest Spanish police brutality during the October 1 referendum.
Despite uncertainty over whether the strike would go ahead, by Tuesday afternoon the stoppage was taking shape, with the CGT, the Coordinadora Obrera Sindical and USTEC unions all joining up. The strike to demand the release of imprisoned Catalan officials also has the support of the ANC and Òmnium Cultural pro-independence civic organisations. While the UGT and CCOO unions decided not to join the strike, arguing that the reasons for the stoppage are political, both organizations called on the public to join the demonstrations. Protests have been called outside town halls, and in the Cathedral square in Barcelona, at 6pm.
Catalan News will also be observing the strike called for November 8, 2017.
“Defending rights and freedoms not guaranteed in Spain”
“Wednesday is a day to come together and defend the rights and freedoms that are not guaranteed in Spain, but which are in Belgium,” said secretary general of the UGT union, Camil Ros, yesterday, in reference to the Belgian authorities allowing dismissed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont go free while eight of his ministers have been held in custody in Spanish prisons. Both the CCOO and UGT unions are calling for the release of the Catalan officials, and the also imprisoned heads of the ANC and Òmnium, as well as the withdrawal of Article 155 imposing direct rule on Catalonia from Madrid.