The Catalan president, Quim Torra, gave Spain’s King Felipe VI two reports and a book about the police violence during the independence referendum when they met in Tarragona.
The reports, by the Catalan ombudsman, were on “police violence” and the “regression of fundamental rights” in Catalonia. The book was ‘Days that will last for years’, by photojournalist Jordi Borràs.
Torra and Felipe VI met at the inauguration of the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, was also in attendance.
The Catalan leader attended the event after days of uncertainty over whether he would go.
Before the Games inauguration, Torra had asked the monarch to “apologise” for condoning Spanish police actions on October 1 and justifying the Spanish state “repression” against pro-independence politicians.
The Spanish government said Felipe VI always “complied with the obligations of the crown” during the independence crisis.
Torra finally said he would go to the inauguration because it was an important day for Catalonia but insisted that the relationship between the Catalan people and the monarchy is broken.
The Catalan leader attended a protest of pro-independence supporters before going to the inauguration of the Games, where he met the king. The protest was, in fact, in favor of a Republic and against the presence of the monarch in Catalonia.
The Catalan leader has said that he and the members of his cabinet will no longer attend any events organised by the Spanish royal family or invite the monarch to events organised by the Catalan executive.
During the inauguration, some far-left pro-independence CUP politicians displayed banners demanding “freedom for political prisoners”.
The Spanish monarchy is the institution with the lowest popularity in Catalonia. In a recent poll, and on a scale from 0 to 10, 60% of Catalans gave the king a 0.