Thousands protested in Catalonia on Thursday after eight regional ministers were jailed and accused of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds—as the constitutional crisis in Spain continues. The regional ministers had already been fired by Spain’s central government over Catalonia’s independence referendum, and they now face up to 50 years in prison. This is Maria Carrera and Jaume Solana at a protest in Barcelona.

Maria Carrera: “This is shameful, because they have committed a coup d’état. They are Francists and Nazis. I want to go to the prison, where our comrades are being held.”

Jaume Solana: “It is unjust because there is no democracy like this. It is unjust because many politicians that have stolen are free, and today they are in prison, and that is unjust.”

Spanish prosecutors are also seeking a European arrest warrant for Catalonia’s leader Carles Puigdemont, who is in exile in Belgium, along with other members of the Catalan government. This is Puigdemont.

Carles Puigdemont: “The Spanish government decision to imprison the vice president and the Cabinet members of the legitimate government of Catalonia, elected in the polls of September 27, is a very grave mistake. It is a grave attack on democracy. Imprisoning political leaders with ample citizen support is an act that violates the basic principle of democracy.”

In late October, Spain’s government seized control of Catalonia using Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution—which had never been used before in modern Spain’s democratic history. The move stripped the northeastern region of its autonomy in efforts to crush Catalonia’s growing independence movement.