Spanish newspapers reacted with great anger today as the Belgian authorities released former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on bail, pending a decision by the Brussels judge whether or not to prosecute the European arrest warrant.
Mr Puigdemont immediately sent out a twee to his Catalan supporters this morning to inform them that he was still free and walking on Belgian soil
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">En llibertat i sense fiança. El nostre pensament és per als companys injustament empresonats per un Estat allunyat d la pràctica democràtica</p>— Carles Puigdemont 🎗 (@KRLS) <a href="https://twitter.com/KRLS/status/927454706166910976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, the Belgian leader of the Flemish nationalists, the Antwerp mayor Mr Bart De Wever, who heads the largest party in government, has said in no uncertain terms that Belgium will not be dictated by Spain as to what it needs to do with Mr Puigdemont.
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Mr De Wever: “When you stay silent at a moment that politicians are thrown in jail simply for making a point, for having an opinion when there is violence against citizens, then you are guilty as well.”
A spokesman for the Partido Popular of Prime Minister Rajoy had over the weekend already reacted angrily to the dismissal of the Belgians, saying they were ruled by the Flemish of the north of the country, who he compared to xenophobes and racists.
To this Mr De Wever had tweeted: “we now remember the Spanish fury, the bloodiest day in our history when 441 years ago 10,000 citizens of Antwerp were killed by King Philips II of Spain.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="nl" dir="ltr">We gedenken de Spaanse Furie, de bloedigste dag in onze geschiedenis. 10.000 Antwerpenaren werden 441 jaar geleden vermoord onder Filips II. <a href="https://t.co/65vlvDHePR">pic.twitter.com/65vlvDHePR</a></p>— Bart De Wever (@Bart_DeWever) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bart_DeWever/status/926787948196061184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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When asked by the Belgian press what Mr De Wever intended to do for Mr Puigdemont, he responded that he would let the Belgian judiciary do their job, but that Mr Puigdemont was considered ‘a friend’ of his, and that ‘friends never outlive their welcome’.
The case continues.
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Yo Spain, here Belgium: Fuck off!