Unionist party wants investigation into airport protest

The Catalan wing of the People's Party (PPC) has asked the public prosecutor to launch an investigation into the protests that took place all over Catalonia on Monday in response to the prison sentences handed down to independence leaders by the Supreme Court.

In a news conference held on Tuesday, the PPC's secretary-general, Daniel Serrano, said the protests, which saw roads and train lines cut as well as Barcelona airport occupied by demonstrators, "constituted serious offenses" in Spain's criminal code.

The unionist party head argued that paralyzing infrastructure is "very serious" and "must not happen again," and Serrano added that he had called on acting Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, to "guarantee order" in Catalonia.

‼️Así ha amanecido hoy nuestra sede en #Barcelona.

👉🏻Por mucho que nos amenacen seguiremos defendiendo el Estado de Derecho y la libertad. pic.twitter.com/dtyXKCWJCZ

— PP Català🇪🇸 (@PPCatalunya) October 15, 2019

He also regretted that protestors were "encouraged by the Catalan government itself and separatist leaders" with the aim of "making life impossible for Catalans," and he appealed to the police to charge those who "assaulted Catalan citizens just for carrying a Spanish flag."

Swastikas painted on unionist party HQs

PPC was one of three unionist parties, along with Ciutadans (Cs) and the Catalan Socialists (PSC), who reported on Tuesday that their party headquarters had been painted overnight with swastikas and the number '155'.

Article 155 is the clause of the Constitution invoked by the Spanish government and approved by the Senate to suspend Catalonia's self-rule following the October 1 referendum and parliament's declaration of independence in 2017.

❗ Así ha amanecido nuestra sede de Barcelona
🗣 Tenemos un mensaje para los intolerantes que no nos respetan:
⚖ ¡La democracia siempre gana!
🍊 Si creen que sus insultos nos callarán es que no nos conocen bien. Seguiremos defendiendo la libertad y la convivencia. #NoNosCallarán pic.twitter.com/wd4sevBtAJ

— Ciutadans (@CiutadansCs) October 15, 2019

Cs leader and party spokeswoman, Lorena Roldán, attributed the graffiti to "radical separatist commandos" and she insisted that such "insults, threats and finger-pointing" will not be enough to silence her party.

PPC was also defiant, accusing the pro-independence pressure group Tsunami Democràtic for that attacks and tweeting: "For all that they threaten us, for all that they attack us, and for all they illegally try to paralyze Catalonia, the rule of law will continue to work."

🔴El respecte a qui pensa diferent és un dels valors democràtics fonamentals.

Avui condemnem els atacs a algunes de les nostres seus arreu de #Catalunya.

No ens callaran! pic.twitter.com/RqsADTKug8

— Socialistes (PSC) /❤ (@socialistes_cat) October 15, 2019

As for PSC, the party condemned the "attacks" that took place at the party's headquarters in a number of Catalan cities, including Barcelona, and tweeted that "respect for those who think differently is a fundamental democratic value."