‘The King is not welcome’: Catalan separatists stage a protest as royal visits Barcelona to mark the one year anniversary of Las Ramblas terror attack that killed 16 people
- Barcelona has paid tribute to the victims of last year’s jihadist militant attack
- Sixteen people were killed in the rampage – Spain’s worse attack in over 10 years
- Crowds filled a central square for a ceremony attended by Spain’s King Felipe
- Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also paid tribute at the event
As grieving family and friends paid tribute to loved ones lost in last year’s Barcelona terror attack, Catalan separatists staged a protest, telling Spain’s King Felipe he was ‘not welcome’.
Barcelona today paid tribute to the victims of a militant rampage last year which killed 16 people, but a call from families to put aside divisions over independence ambitions for the surrounding region of Catalonia was not heeded by all.
The commemorations included a flower-laying ceremony by the victims’ families on the Las Ramblas promenade, where a van mowed down scores of pedestrians.
Relatives of the victims of Barcelona’s terror attack take part in a floral tribute at the Spanish artist Joan Miro’s mosaic in Las Ramblas promenade to mark the first anniversary of their deaths
Spanish King Felipe stands (centre) after a ceremony in memory of victims of the twin attacks on the Catalan capital and the coastal town of Cambrils that killed 16 people
A huge banner against Spain’s King Felipe hangs from a building beside Plaza Catalunya, central Barcelona, Spain
On August 17 2017, a young man drove a rented van into crowds on a central boulevard, killing 14 and injuring more than 120 in Spain’s worst attack in over a decade.
Another man died during the attacker’s getaway, and a woman was killed in a strike the following day in the coastal resort of Cambrils.
The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group. Spanish authorities say they dismantled the cell, with its members either killed in the operation or arrested.
A placard reading ‘peace’ is seen during a ceremony in memory of the 16 victims in the Catalan capital
Relatives react after placing flowers in memory of victims. A choir sang and people read poetry in different languages at the ceremony
Amid a heavy police presence Friday, a musical performance took place in the city’s broad Plaza Catalunya
Spain’s King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other government officials were among hundreds of people attending ceremonies in the northeastern city.
Amid a heavy police presence Friday, a musical performance took place in the city’s broad Plaza Catalunya. Written behind the stage was the slogan: ‘Barcelona, city of peace.’
A choir sang and people read poetry in different languages.
A Catalan police officer places flowers at a floor mosaic by Catalan artist Joan Miro where the van driven by the attacker stopped in Barcelona
Spain’s King Felipe VI (right), Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (second from right), Spain’s Minister of Defence Margarita Robles (centre), Catalan regional president Quim Torra (second from left) and Catalan regional Speaker Roger Torrent (left) attend a ceremony in Barcelona
People attend a ceremony in Barcelona on August 17, 2018, marking the first anniversary of attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that left 16 people dead
Earlier today, relatives of the victims, many of them weeping, laid flowers at a mosaic on Las Ramblas.
Families of the victims had asked for a truce in the messy politics ensuing from a declaration of independence last October, which prompted Madrid to impose direct rule.
But King Felipe, who made an unusual political intervention to criticise the independence drive, was met by both cheers and jeers when he arrived.
A banner declaring ‘The Spanish king is not welcome in the Catalan countries’ hung from one building.
Participants in a small march later along Las Ramblas held signs saying, ‘Catalonia has no king’. Some people along the street applauded them.
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Other banners were hung elsewhere in the city calling for the release of Catalan pro-independence officials being held in jail over their secession efforts.
Catalan society is deeply divided over the question of independence, with a closely-watched poll from the Centro d’Estudis d’Opinio in July showing the proportion of Catalans who want to be an independent state at 46.7 per cent.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been working to defuse tension with Catalan authorities since taking over the premiership in June from Mariano Rajoy, whose government presided over a police crackdown on an October 1 referendum.
Some of the people attending Friday’s events said they were not happy with the king’s presence there.
‘I absolutely disagree,’ said administrative worker Nati Puigbarraca. ‘We all know what has happened in Catalonia, there is a political situation but it goes beyond that. Some of us will never forgive what happened on October 1.’
Catalan regional Speaker, Roger Torrent (left, front), Catalan regional President Quim Torra, Barcelona’s Mayor Ada Colau (centre) and Spanish government’s delegate in Catalonia Teresa Cunillera (third from right) take part in a floral tribute
Relatives of several victims hug each other as they take part in a floral tribute at the Spanish artist Joan Miro’s mosaic in Las Ramblas
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