The fugitive former leader of Spain’s Catalonia region has spoken in Denmark about an upcoming constitutional referendum in the Faroe Islands, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Carles Puigdemont told a crowded auditorium at the University of Copenhagen on Monday that “if Catalans can’t change their laws and leaders, that means there is no democracy in Catalonia”.
Mr Puigdemont has been living in Belgium since Spain’s prime minister Mariano Rajoy removed him from office and prosecutors opened a sedition investigation over the Catalan government’s push for independence.
The Faroes and Greenland have long sought more autonomy while allowing Denmark to handle their foreign affairs and defence. The Faroes are holding a referendum on a new constitution on April 25.
Mr Puigdemont is being investigated by Spain over a unilateral declaration of independence by Catalonia’s parliament on October 27.
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