Spain’s ‘trial of the century’ could help the far right in upcoming elections

A quirk of the Spanish justice system allows anyone to become a co-accuser and take part in court proceedings, as Vox have done in the Catalan leaders’ trial, gaining a golden opportunity to put their anti-separatist agenda on display

Support for Catalonian separatism has risen since the trial began (Getty Images)

When 12 Catalan pro-independence leaders filed into Spain’s Supreme Court in Madrid this February and sat down on its smart, burgundy-coloured benches, media and public interest in the “trial of the century,” as it has been dubbed here in Spain, could not have been higher.

The 12, including former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras, face charges including rebellion, sedition and the misuse of public funds, mostly linked to the illegal pro-independence referendum in October 2017. Rebellion alone carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.

Watching from outside the police lines in February – beyond the bag checks, the barriers and the block on anybody without accreditation from approaching any closer than 100 metres of the court’s front doors – I could see a group of some 50 hard-right sympathisers chanting slogans about the unity of Spain and yelling insults at the 100 or so pro-Catalan supporters on the other side of the street.