The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. August 8, 2024 Spanish Police Launch Manhunt for Catalan Separatist Leader Puigdemont as He Returns to Barcelona ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police in Spain are searching for Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont after he returned to Barcelona, ending seven years in exile despite a pending warrant for his arrest. Puigdemont spoke at a rally in Barcelona earlier today. Carles Puigdemont: "Over the years, they persecuted us for listening to the voice of the people of Catalonia, years where there was a harsh repression, from prison to exile, that affected the lives of thousands of people for being pro-independence, sometimes for the mere fact of speaking Catalan, making being Catalan something suspicious." Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont disappeared just after he spoke in Barcelona, prompting a massive police search. Roadblocks have been set up, and the police are searching cars in the area. .