Tag Archives: Catalonia

CNN reports: Spain appears destined for painful political negotiations after Sunday’s elections, when no single party won enough parliamentary seats to form a government. Prospects for coalition-building now remain uncertain. With over 99% of the vote counted, the center-right Partido Popular (PP) is set to come in first, winning 136 seats. The upstart far-right Vox party, a possible coalition partner …

The Associated Press reports: In what is being billed as Spain’s “trial of the century,” a dozen politicians and activists face charges in the Supreme Court over their involvement in Catalonia’s push for independence in 2017. The trial, which started Tuesday, sees those in the dock facing charges including rebellion and sedition. The trial is expected to last at least …

The Guardian reports: A former head of the Catalan police force who drew widespread praise for his handling of the Barcelona terror attacks in August last year has been charged with belonging to a criminal organisation for his role in the events leading up to Catalonia’s illegal declaration of independence two months later. Josep Lluís Trapero belonged to a “complex …

The Independent reports: Hundreds of thousands of Catalan independence supporters clogged central Barcelona on Saturday to demand the release of separatist leaders held in prison for their roles in the region’s banned independence drive. Wearing yellow ribbons on their lapels to signify support, they filled the length of the Avenue Marina that runs from the beach to Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada …

The BBC reports: Eight sacked Catalan ministers have been remanded in custody by a Spanish high court judge over the region’s push for independence. Prosecutors had asked the judge to detain eight of the nine former government members who turned up for questioning in Madrid. They are accused of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. The state prosecutor has …

The New York Times reports: The Spanish attorney general said on Monday that Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan leader, and other top regional officials would be prosecuted for rebellion after illegally declaring independence from Spain. The attorney general, José Manuel Maza, stopped short of ordering the immediate arrest of Mr. Puigdemont and other separatist leaders in Catalonia, instead ordering them …

The Guardian reports: Madrid has taken direct control of Catalonia for the first time in nearly four decades, firing the regional government and dismissing the head of the local police force, after the Catalan parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence. Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet were formally removed from their posts, and their powers and responsibilities taken over by …

The New York Times reports: In a major escalation of Spain’s territorial conflict, Catalan lawmakers declared independence on Friday, setting up a showdown with the central government in coming days. Undeterred by the government’s threat to seize control of Catalonia, separatists in the region’s Parliament passed a resolution to “create a Catalan republic as an independent state.” In protest, lawmakers …

CBS News reports: A pro-independence party in the Spanish region of Catalonia is calling for “mass civil disobedience.” They are upset about the Spanish government’s unprecedented decision and attempt to take over Catalonia’s government. The political crisis has escalated to the point that Spain’s central government is, in essence, saying “we’ll take over now” as they seek to impose direct …

The New York Times reports: In a first for Spain, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced on Saturday that he would remove the separatist government of the independence-minded region of Catalonia and initiate a process of direct rule from Madrid. The announcement, made after an emergency cabinet meeting, was an unexpectedly forceful attempt to stop a yearslong drive for secession in …

Reuters reports: The Spanish government has secured opposition support for dissolving Catalonia’s parliament and holding new elections there in January in its bid to defuse the regional government’s push for independence. The Socialists, the main opposition, said on Friday they would back special measures to impose central rule on the region to thwart the secessionist-minded Catalan government and end a …

The New York Times reports: The leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, said on Tuesday evening that his region had earned the right to independence from Spain, but he immediately suspended the process to allow for talks with the central government in Madrid. “I ask Parliament to suspend the declaration of independence so that in the coming weeks we can undertake …

The New York Times reports: The leader of Catalonia insisted on Monday that Sunday’s independence referendum, though marred by clashes and rejected by the Spanish government, had earned his region the right to a separate state and that he would press ahead to make the vote binding. Without specifying when, Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan leader, said he would submit the …

The Associated Press reports: Catalonia’s regional government declared a landslide win for the “yes” side in a disputed referendum on independence from Spain that degenerated into ugly scenes of mayhem on Sunday, with more than 800 people injured as riot police attacked peaceful protesters and unarmed civilians gathered to cast their ballots. Catalonia has “won the right to become an …

CNN reports: Catalonia’s disputed independence referendum was in chaos on Sunday, with reports of hundreds injured as Spain’s national police launched a widespread crackdown on the vote. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont condemned “indiscriminate aggression” against peaceful voters. Spanish authorities appeared determined to deny the vote legitimacy by preventing as many people as possible from casting ballots in the referendum, which …

The Associated Press reports: Police in Catalonia issued an ultimatum Saturday: the separatists, parents and children who are occupying schools to use them as polling stations for a disputed referendum on the region’s independence from Spain must leave by dawn. The police deadline of 6 a.m. Sunday is designed to prevent the vote from taking place, since the polls are …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump said Tuesday that the United States opposes an independence drive in the Spanish region of Catalonia, telling reporters that such secession would be “foolish.” “I think Spain is a great country, and it should remain united,” Trump said during a news conference with the visiting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The president’s remarks mark …

Trump will surely be grilled about the NFL, Puerto Rico, Trumpcare, and North Korea. But the Spanish prime minister’s presence will add a unique wrinkle to the press conference. Bloomberg reports: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington Tuesday while his team back in Madrid attempts to turn the screws on a secessionist push …

The Associated Press reports: Spain will deploy police reinforcements to Catalonia to help maintain order if an independence referendum pledged by Catalan officials but opposed by the national government goes ahead, officials said Friday. The measure came amid rising tension between Spanish and Catalan authorities over the planned Oct. 1 ballot. Civil Guard police this week arrested around a dozen …

The BBC reports: Parliament in Spain’s restive Catalonia region has approved an independence referendum on 1 October which Madrid has vowed to outlaw. Separatist parties which hold a slim majority backed the referendum law and legal framework needed to set up an independent state. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has asked the constitutional court to nullify it. He will hold an …