Thousands protest criminal code reform in Barcelona

Thousands of people attended a protest in Barcelona on Tuesday, Spain's Constitution Day, against the reform of the criminal code.

According to the organizers, the pro-independence civil society group Catalan National Assembly (ANC), there were 10,000 people in attendance. Local police, however, more than halved the figure with estimates of 4,500 demonstrators.  

Protesters called for "no deal with Spain to imprison us" in reference to the agreement between the Spanish and Catalan governments to reform the Spanish criminal code.

This is set to see the crime of sedition – the same crime that 11 prominent pro-independence politicians were convicted of – replaced with the lesser and new crime of "aggravated public disorder," but many people in the movement as well as other rights groups fear it could be used to implement harsher sentences for activists.

The deal to reform sedition was announced following talks between the Spanish and Catalan governments known as the 'dialogue table,' a forum where both administrations aim to resolve differences regarding independence through negotiation.

While Òmnium, another one of the main pro-independence associations, chose not to take part in the protest to avoid causing more "confrontation" among those in favor of splitting with Spain, members of opposition parties CUP and Junts, both of which are skeptical of Catalan government party Esquerra's decision to hold talks with Madrid, were there. 

Filling the Sink podcast

Listen to the Filling the Sink podcast episode published on November 19 to learn more about the criminal code reform.