Catalan Police Launch Operation To Arrest Puigdemont-TV3

Wires reporting that according to Catalan state broadcaster TV3, the police have launched an operation to find and arrest former regional president Carles Puigdemont following his appearance at a pro-independence rally in Barcelona (see 'SPAIN: Exiled Catalan Leader Speaks In Barcelona, But No Sign Of Arrest Yet', 0902BST).

• Catalan News reports on what Puidgemont could face in the immediate future if arrested, with the crux of the matter being the amnesty law approved last year. As the article notes, "The amnesty law for figures seeking independence for Catalonia came into effect in June of this year, but the law needs to be applied case by case by the judge overseeing each one. In Puigdemont's case, the Supreme Court views that the amnesty law does not apply to the charge of misuse of public funds for holding the referendum."
• Should Puidgemont be arrested there is the prospect of heightened political tensions in Catalonia, where the former president remains a highly divisive figure. While supporters view him as the embodiment of an oppressed movement for freedom and independence, unionists from the left and right of the political spectrum view him as a corrupt law-breaker.
• The Catalan independence movement has waned in its potency in recent years, with today's installation of the first regional gov't led by a unionist party since 2010 a signal of this.
• It remains to be seen whether the potential arrest of Puidgemont gives a shot in the arm to the independence movement, providing a figure for separatists to rally around.