Spain’s government has defiantly rejected calls for mediation over Catalonia’s push for independence as the two factions headed towards another showdown.

The European Union has urged dialogue to ease the standoff between separatists in the northeastern region and Madrid, but Catalan leaders said they could unilaterally declare independence as early as Monday.

The tone of the crisis sharpened with Catalonia’s president denouncing the king’s intervention and Spain’s government rejecting any possible talks.

“The government will not negotiate over anything illegal and will not accept blackmail,” said a statement from Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s office.



“Negotiation in democracy only has one way, the way of the law.”

The dispute is Spain’s worst political crisis in decades and images of police beating unarmed Catalans taking part in Sunday’s banned independence vote sparked global concern.



Catalonia’s president Carles Puigdemont called the central government’s policies “disastrous” as the region’s leaders pushed on with its bid to break away from Spain, angering Madrid and raising the risk of further unrest.

Spain’s key IBEX 35 stock index plunged by more than three percent Wednesday in the ongoing turbulence, with some big Catalan banks down more than five percent.

“Political risk is back on the agenda in Europe,” NFS Macro analyst Nick Stamenkovic told AFP.




– Catalan ‘republic’ –
After meetings in the regional parliament on Wednesday, pro-independence lawmakers called a full session next Monday to debate the final results of the vote.

“According to how the session goes, independence could be declared,” a regional government source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mireia Boya of the radical leftwing separatist CUP said it would be “a plenary to proclaim the republic” of independent Catalonia.

King Felipe VI on Tuesday branded the independence drive illegal and undemocratic, throwing his weight behind the national government.

Catalan leaders “with their irresponsible conduct could put at risk the economic and social stability of Catalonia and all of Spain”, he said.

Accusing them of “disloyalty”, the king said that the state had to “ensure constitutional order”.

Puigdemont angrily rejected this, saying in a televised address: “The king has adopted the (national) government’s position and policies which have been disastrous with regard to Catalonia. He is deliberately ignoring millions of Catalans.”

He also accused the national government of failing to respond to proposals for mediation in the crisis.

– ‘Illegal’ referendum –
A declaration of independence would intensify the conflict with the central government, which along with the national courts has branded the referendum illegal.

Madrid has the power to suspend the semi-autonomous status that Catalonia currently enjoys under Spain’s system of regional governments.

That would further enrage Catalan protesters, who say they are being repressed by Spain.

– Dragged by hair –
The king’s intervention could clear the way for Prime Minister Rajoy to act.

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans rallied in fury on Tuesday during a general strike over the police violence during the referendum.

Scores were injured on Sunday as police moved in en masse, beating voters and protesters as they lay on the ground and dragging some by the hair.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said Wednesday it was “time to talk, finding a way out of the impasse, working within the constitutional order of Spain”.

Speaking in an emergency debate in the European Parliament, he defended Madrid’s right to “the proportionate use of force” to keep the peace.

– No talks on independence –
But the government statement late Wednesday said there could be no mediation unless Puigdemont backs down.

Adding to tensions, the courts on Wednesday placed Catalonia’s regional police chief Josep Lluis Trapero and three other suspects under investigation for an alleged “crime of sedition”.

The force has been accused of failing to rein in pro-independence protesters during disturbances in Barcelona last month.

– Catalans split –
A rich industrial region of 7.5 million people with their own language and cultural traditions, Catalonia accounts for a fifth of Spain’s economy.

Catalan claims for independence date back centuries but have surged during recent years of economic crisis.

The regional government said 42 percent of the electorate voted on Sunday, with 90 percent of those backing independence. But polls indicate Catalans are split.

The vote was held without regular electoral lists or observers.

Are Catalonians terrorists ?

kettykin:
Are Catalonians terrorists ?

They have finished the processes, happy for them

kettykin:
Are Catalonians terrorists ?

Buratai is far from Catalonia

terrorist Catalonians..lol
.

Hmm good for them

kettykin:
Are Catalonians terrorists ?

I wouldn't say so. Unlike IPOB, they don't:
call their President a "pedophile" and "rapist" and "terrorist" who should be killed like our director.
call their national union a "godforsaken zoo" whose inhabitants deserve to die.
call for Kumuyi to be stoned and "dealt" with if he goes to Aba for a crusade.
solicit for weapons and incorporate militant groups.
basically insult all other groups around them including Yorubas, Northerners, Niger-Delta people etc

Basically, the Catalan secessionist movement is several decades ago and they're well acquainted with democratic norms and don't go around behaving like touts and miscreants.
I wouldn't quite term IPOB terrorists either (just irritating miscreants), but you're not like Catalans.

Obi1kenobi:


I wouldn't say so. Unlike IPOB, they don't:
call their President a "pedophile" and "rapist" and "terrorist" who should be killed like our director.
call their national union a "godforsaken zoo" whose inhabitants deserve to die.
call for Kumuyi to be stoned and "dealt" with if he goes to Aba for a crusade.
solicit for weapons and incorporate militant groups.
basically insult all other groups around them including Yorubas, Northerners, Niger-Delta people etc

Basically, the Catalan secessionist movement is several decades ago and they're well acquainted with democratic norms and don't go around behaving like touts and miscreants.
I wouldn't quite term IPOB terrorists either (just irritating miscreants), but you're not like Catalans.

But before IPOB did all this , certain Mohammed Buhari said that the Baboon and dogs will be soaked in blood if he looses and election,
by calling voters baboon and dogs he reduced the Nigerian populace to the status of animals and by saying they will be soaked in blood he now reduced Nigeria to a jungle not even a Zoo.

Other people like the Oba of Lagos once threatend Genocide against igbos living in Lagos when he vowed with the spirits of his ancestors to drown igbos in the Lagoon if his candidates lost an election, if this is not worse than what Nnamdi Kanu said i wonder what can be worse.

So many other people from the North vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable if the power does not shift to the North.

All this was before Nnamdi Kanu and IPOb made their declarations

kettykin:


But before IPOB did all this , certain Mohammed Buhari said that the Baboon and dogs will be soaked in blood if he looses and election,
by calling voters baboon and dogs he reduced the Nigerian populace to the status of animals and by saying they will be soaked in blood he now reduced Nigeria to a jungle not even a Zoo.

Other people like the Oba of Lagos once threatend Genocide against igbos living in Lagos when he vowed with the spirits of his ancestors to drown igbos in the Lagoon if his candidates lost an election, if this is not worse than what Nnamdi Kanu said i wonder what can be worse.

So many other people from the North vowed to make Nigeria ungovernable if the power does not shift to the North.

All this was before Nnamdi Kanu and IPOb made their declarations

1) You're talking about a few individuals' comments, rather than a large group of miscreants and anarchists that lost their collective minds.
2) I'm only simply pointing out the difference between the Catalan movement and IPOB's.

Obi1kenobi:


1) You're talking about a few individuals' comments, rather than a large group of miscreants and anarchists that lost their collective minds.
2) I'm only simply pointing out the difference between the Catalan movement and IPOB's.

They Few individuals threat is nothing if it would not be carried by their large number of followers , Buhari alone could not have killed about 8 NYSC members after the 2011 election while the Oba of Lagos is too weak to even throw a single igbo man into the Lagoon, both of these people had large numbers of people answerable to them and represented areas and regions with people ready to carry out their threats

Vutseck:
terrorist Catalonians..lol

.

Catalonians are not terrorist because they didn't disturb and curse other tribes in their struggle, they focus on their independence campaign. IPOD kept referring to other tribes as zoo,slaves and acting in a provocative and insightful way ,that's what make the difference. If you want Biafra go to your region and do that withdraw everybody back home including all your politicians in the central government and be united like the catalonians some tribes and region will gladly offer assistance to see that you actualise this dream.

There's yet hope for umu biafra.

kettykin:
Are Catalonians terrorists ?

show us where catalonians are calling spain zoo or calling for the massacre of spanish people.

Also show us the video of catalonian president soliciting weapons to destroy spain.

Obi1kenobi:


1) You're talking about a few individuals' comments, rather than a large group of miscreants and anarchists that lost their collective minds.
2) I'm only simply pointing out the difference between the Catalan movement and IPOB's.

One of those individuals is your current president so one could say that his comments need to be more heavily scrutinised than a group that you say are “a group of miscreants” .