The rally was organized by the Catalan National Assembly organization, Omnium Cultural association and the Catalan civil right association.
The demonstration was held under the slogan "No prison, no exile, we want you to be home." The protesters called on the authorities to lift charges against those Catalan politicians who are in jail, and those who are fleeing from Spanish justice abroad.
In March, the Spanish Supreme Court charged 25 Catalan politicians over their role in the organization of the independence referendum. While some politicians were jailed, others have fled abroad prompting Spanish authorities to issue international arrest warrants and extradition requests.
Earlier this week, a German court ruled that extradition of Catalan government former head Carles Puigdemont, under whose leadership the referendum was organized, was possible on the charges of misuse of public funds, brought against him by the Spanish authorities. However, the court did not authorize extradition on the charges of rebellion, also facing Puigdemont in Spain.
During the October 1 referendum, over 90 percent of the Catalan voters supported the region’s secession from Spain. The Catalan parliament subsequently declared the region’s independence from Spain, prompting the central authorities to the regional authorities and invoke the direct administration over the region.
