Former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont made a defiant return to Spain on Thursday, despite a pending arrest warrant against him. Puigdemont, who fled Spain nearly seven years ago after organizing an independence referendum in Catalonia, appeared in Barcelona after traveling from Belgium. He faces charges of embezzlement for his role in the illegal referendum that sought to break Catalonia away from Spain.
In a speech to a large crowd of supporters, Puigdemont accused Spanish authorities of cracking down on the Catalan separatist movement. He emphasized the right to self-determination for all people and criticized the persecution faced by Catalans who seek independence.
