Fugitive Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont says in Belgium
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00:00In a dramatic twist worthy of a spy thriller, Catalan's ex-leader Carles Puigdemont has
00:06reappeared in Belgium. The separatist leader mysteriously vanished from Barcelona on Thursday
00:11following a cloak-and-dagger return to Spain after years in exile.
00:15Today, I'm in Waterloo after some extremely difficult days. It's necessary to analyse
00:21the political situation and put into perspective the deep reason behind the operation that
00:26made possible what happened yesterday.
00:29Puigdemont was last seen addressing thousands outside the Catalonian parliament, where many
00:34expected the 61-year-old to join the vote for the area's new leader. Instead, he disappeared
00:39into the crowd. The question remains as to how the politician escaped again, despite
00:45a police-led manhunt and an arrest warrant. An elusiveness that has divided public opinion.
00:53In a way I think it's normal. Here with the repression that exists and judicially they
00:58do what they want, it's normal for the man to have thought of running away. Besides,
01:03honestly, if he wants to do something, the only option he has is to be in Europe and
01:07fight a little for rights.
01:11Well, I don't think that's the way things should be done. You have to approach things,
01:17phase on, show up and back up your ideas. But to come, only say two words and walk away,
01:24in a way, it's not the way to do it.
01:29The separatist fled Spain to avoid prosecution after leading the 2017 independence bid for
01:34Catalonia, residing in Belgium and more recently France. Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena,
01:41who issued Puigdemont's initial arrest warrant, demanded explanations from police and government
01:46as to how the fugitive was able to return to Spain in the first place.