Quim Torra, the separatist leader of the Spanish region of Catalonia, has been removed from office for disobedience. The Spanish Supreme Court on Monday upheld a conviction from last year.
Torra was convicted of hanging a banner of the Catalan independence movement in the 2019 elections. He was fined € 30,000 and is not allowed to hold public office for the next eighteen months.
Before the prosecution decided to prosecute last year, the electoral council had already called on Torra several times to remove the symbols. But he refused, out of respect for the freedom of expression of officials.
It is feared that this ruling could escalate the situation in Catalonia again. Three years ago, the region held an illegal independence referendum on October 1. This led to protests with hundreds of thousands of participants, partly accompanied by violence.
Independence association Omnium Cultural has already called on separatists to gather in front of Catalan regional government buildings on Monday at 7 p.m.
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