Far-right Spanish-Catalan politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras was shot in the head by a man on a motorbike in Madrid on Thursday afternoon. Spanish media report this. The perpetrator is still on the run. It is not clear why Vidal-Quadras was shot. He survived the assassination attempt and is in stable condition.
Vidal-Quadras (78) has a long track record as a representative in Spain, Catalonia and the European Union. He is strongly against Catalan independence from Spain. Earlier on Thursday he acted on Xformerly Twitter, against a deal between the Socialists and the Catalan separatists, which together could ensure that the Socialist outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez remains in power.
In return, Sánchez pardons Catalan separatists, including leader Carles Puidgemont, who illegally declared Catalan independence in 2017. Vidal-Quadras wrote on
Vidal-Quadras is, among other things, a member of a pro-Israel lobby group in the European Union and against abortion and gay marriage. He was one of the founders and in 2014 the first party leader of Vox, a nationalist-conservative Spanish party.
Also read
Opposition to amnesty for Catalan separatists is increasing in Spain