Àlex Pérez, arrested during the protests following the Supreme Court ruling, is put on trial. Though the Prosecutor’s Office is seeking three and a half years in prison, he is ultimately acquitted

Àlex Pérez was arrested by the Mossos d’Esquadra on 19 October 2019 when he was returning from a protest against the Supreme Court ruling. He spent two nights in custody and was then released subject to the precautionary measures of reporting to a Barcelona court twice a month and not going within a thousand metres of any public gathering or demonstration in Catalonia. The Prosecutor’s Office is seeking three and a half years in prison on the charges of public disturbance and causing damage, for having tried to burn pieces of cardboard and stuffing them in a large rubbish bin. The only evidence against him is the testimony of two officers and the lighter he was carrying with him that day because he smokes. Barcelona City Council is calling for him to pay compensation for the damages as if he had in fact burnt the bin, even though the Mossos report only claimed he had tried to burn it. A few days later, Àlex is acquitted.