Tens of thousands of people from Spain's Basque Country joined hands
to form a human chain running some 202 kilometres (125 miles) on Sunday June 10,2018
to call for the right to hold a regional independence vote.
Spain's Constitution, created in 1978 after the end of dictator
Francisco Franco's regime, states that the country is indivisible and
last-year's attempt by Catalonia to hold a secession referendum was met
with a harsh legal crackdown.
Former Prime Minister with the conservative People's Party (PP) Mariano Rajoy, who has been roundly criticised for his handling of the Catalan crisis, was ousted by Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez in a no confidence vote June 1.
Sanchez, who now heads the government following the vote, has called for renewed talks with the Catalan leadership.
While most from the Basque Country,
which already has a high level of self-determination and, like
Catalonia, has its own language and culture, do not support
independence, many believe the population should be given the right to
vote.
The human-chain protest was organised by Basque group Gure Esku Dago (In Our Own Hands) and ran from Donostia (also known as San Sebastian) to the Basque parliament in Gasteiz (Vitoria).
The Spanish government, backed by the constitutional court, maintains that any ballot on regional independence is illegal.
Former Prime Minister with the conservative People's Party (PP) Mariano Rajoy, who has been roundly criticised for his handling of the Catalan crisis, was ousted by Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez in a no confidence vote June 1.
Sanchez, who now heads the government following the vote, has called for renewed talks with the Catalan leadership.
The human-chain protest was organised by Basque group Gure Esku Dago (In Our Own Hands) and ran from Donostia (also known as San Sebastian) to the Basque parliament in Gasteiz (Vitoria).
The Spanish government, backed by the constitutional court, maintains that any ballot on regional independence is illegal.
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