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.

🎥🛑In #Catalonia pro-#Catalan independence supporters rally against #KingFelipe�s visit to
Poblet #Tarragona. pic.twitter.com/S7SGLwvb1Y

— ©halecos Amarillosᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ 🍀ʷAͤNͣOͬNͤYˡMͤOᵍUͥSͦⁿ (@ChalecosAmarill) July 21, 2020

🎥🛑In #Catalonia thousands of Catalonia�s pro-independence supporters march towards Poblet monastery to remind the corrupt & repressor King of Spain who is paying a visit there to try to whitewash his rotten regime, Catalans have no king #BorbonesLadronespic.twitter.com/mfq4lcNR2k

— ©halecos Amarillosᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ 🍀ʷAͤNͣOͬNͤYˡMͤOᵍUͥSͦⁿ (@ChalecosAmarill) July 20, 2020

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.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/19450

*	NAME
*	COMMENT
4 DIGITS BELOW
*

	Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians
	Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia
	US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Sweden�s NATO membership
	UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza
	Gaza�s major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF
	Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3
	Yemen directly hits US warship with ballistic missile
	Turkish lawmakers open debate over Sweden�s NATO membership
	Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Al-Maghazi operation proved defeat of Israeli regime in Gaza war
	Pakistan Army Kills Seven �Terrorists� Near Afghan Border