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November 13, 2023

Protesters Challenge Spanish Government Deal Granting Amnesty to Catalan Separatists
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In Spain, major protests rocked Madrid and other cities over the weekend
after acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez agreed to grant amnesty to
leaders of the Catalan separatist group Junts in exchange for their
support to form a new government, which would secure another term for
Sánchez as Spain's leader. Carles Puigdemont, head of Junts, has been in
exile in Brussels since he and others were convicted over Catalonia's
attempt to secede from Spain in 2017. The proposed amnesty deal would
allow separatist leaders to run for office again. Sánchez's conservative
opponents have slammed the deal and urged their supporters to take to
the streets. Sánchez and his Socialist Workers' Party formed a coalition
with the leftist Sumar alliance last month and made a series of
progressive pledges.


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