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Tuesday, 21 July 2020_Hundreds of protesters who vowed to block a visit by Spain's king to a monastery in the west of Catalonia Monday did not make it to the gates. They could not even see the Royal motorcade but they made enough noise to cancel part of travel plans of King Felipe VI.
Catalan separatists blame the Spanish monarch for siding with the hardliners in Madrid in a speech he delivered in the wake of the 2017 unilateral referendum on independence.
Catalonia's tumultuous history with the monarchy dates back to the XVII century when peasants revolted against the Habsburgs over heavy taxation. Another revolt was crushed by the Bourbons in 1714, etching the defeats in the collective memory of Catalans and in their national anthem.
The grievances seem to have endured overtime, like when Barcelona football fans jeered and whistled the Spanish anthem at the 2015 football cup.
The Spanish royal visit to Catalonia lasted a little over an hour. The royal house was urged by the regional government to cancel travel plans to Barcelona amid new Covid-19 restrictions on group gathering. King Felipe VI is facing mounting pressure to act on corruption allegations surrounding his father, the former King of Spain Juan Carlos.
Unable to visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona due to the pandemic, the king has settled on a monastery in the hinterland. But even here, his visit is spoiled by those who believe that he had not been the neutral king that he is supposed to be.
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