Spain

Spain Order Jailing Of Catalan Leaders: ‘What Happens Next’ To Puigdemont?

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– Spain Order Jailing Of Catalan Leaders: ‘What Happens Next’ To Puigdemont?:

The Spanish public prosecutor on Thursday ordered the country’s High Court that the Catalonian secessionist leaders be jailed. An arrest warrant be issued for ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and eight members of his former government. 

Investigative magistrate Carmen Lamela issued the ruling on Thursday at the request of prosecutors who are pursuing a criminal case stemming from the declaration of secession the Parliament of Catalonia made Friday. The eight are Oriol Junqueras (Deputy First Minister, economy), Jordi Turull (spokesman), Raul Romeva (foreign affairs), Josep Rull (territory), Meritxell Borrás (public administration), Carles Mundó (justice), Dolors Bassa (work & social affairs), Joaquin Form (interior).

Earlier, the prosecutor’s office requested the jailing of Catalonian Vice-President Oriol Junqueras and seven other officials charged with rebellion, sedition and embezzlement of public funds, while the probe is ongoing, La Vanguardia reported.  The prosecutor also asked the judge to issue a European arrest warrant for former leader Carles Puigdemont while also requesting that counselor Santi Vila, who resigned from government before Catalonia declared independence, be released on bail of €50,000.

Read moreSpain Order Jailing Of Catalan Leaders: ‘What Happens Next’ To Puigdemont?

Spain: Puigdemont Claims He’s Legitimate President Of Catalonia, Not Seeking Belgian Asylum

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– Puigdemont Claims He’s Legitimate President Of Catalonia, Not Seeking Belgian Asylum:

Having fled to Brussels to escape rebellion charges and perhaps a lengthy prison sentence, Catalan (ex?) leader Carles Puigdemont, who quietly fled Catalonia over the past few days, held a press conference at the Brussels Press Club. Puigdemont said that the Catalan government sees the upcoming regional elections, called after the imposition of Article 155, as a “democratic challenge” and will accept the results.

In a multi-lingual, rambling speech, Puigdemont – who appears to have almost capitulated in his crusade against Madrid – said he would respect the results of the snap election called by Madrid in response to the declaration of independence by the province’s parliament. He then called on the Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy to say if he would do the same. Puigdemont also reiterated his support for democracy and peaceful resistance to Madrid’s pressure on Catalonia, and said he arrived in the Belgian capital to put the issue of Catalan independence “in the heart” of the European Union.

Confirming that beggars can at least pretend to be choosers, Puigdemont said that “I want a clear commitment from the State, will you respect the results or not?”

Read moreSpain: Puigdemont Claims He’s Legitimate President Of Catalonia, Not Seeking Belgian Asylum

Catalan Leader Urges “Peaceful” Rebellion As Spain Takes Over Government

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– Catalan Leader Urges “Peaceful” Rebellion As Spain Takes Over Government:

Update (0920ET): A Spanish government spokesman has responded to Puigdemont’s address, saying that “Spain will not comment on comments by Puigdemont who is out of a job.”

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As we detailed earlier, in a pre-record message this morning, Catalan separtist leader Carles Puigdemont urged Catalans to peacefully oppose Spain’s formal takeover of the region’s affairs.

Puigdemont said the activation of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution was illegitimate and called on Catalans to show “patience, perseverance” and faith in the future, and urged “democratic opposition” against Spanish government orders to sack his administration and dismiss the regional parliament.

As The Spain Report notes, he announced he Catalans must “continue defending” their new republic “with a sense of civic responsibility,” adding “our will is to continue working to guarantee our democratic mandate”.

Read moreCatalan Leader Urges “Peaceful” Rebellion As Spain Takes Over Government

Spain PM Fires Catalan Government, Calls Snap Elections In Retaliation For Independence Vote

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– Spain PM Fires Catalan Government, Calls Snap Elections In Retaliation For Independence Vote:

Update 4: In a live TV address to the nation, Spain’s PM Rajoy just announced that it is a “sad day” in which Catalans showed “contempt” for democracy, and ignored the general interest; that the Catalan declaration is unacceptable to majority of Catalans, and that, as a result and as expected, he is firing Catalan president Carles Puigdment, the Catalan police chief, and the entire Catalan government as “prudence” and “serenity” are now needed: “we never wanted to reach this situation”.

Ministries in the central government will assume powers of the Catalan administration.

The Prime Minister also announced he has dissolved the Catalan Parliament and called for snap elections to be held on December 21 which will be “free, legal and clean”.

As The Spain Report adds, the central government also ordered all of Catalonia’s “embassies” abroad closed, along with the region’s publicly funded Diplocat diplomacy service, and sacked the director general of the Catalan Police (Mossos), Pere Soler.

Rajoy also said Spain has enough resources to “recover normality” in Catalonia within the law and thanked the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and Ciudadanos for their support.

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Catalans race to create a new currency and economic fortress as independence counter-attack builds

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– Catalans race to create a new currency and economic fortress as independence counter-attack builds

H/t reader Squodgy:

“Ongoing
Civil War…exactly as planned.”

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Spain Showdown: Catalan Parliament To Decide On Independence Tomorrow, Chaos To Follow

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– Spain Showdown: Catalan Parliament To Decide On Independence Tomorrow, Chaos To Follow: 

A dramatic rollercoaster of a day for Catalonia and Spain is ending ominously, with the Catalan president Puigdemont announcing that he would let the region’s parliament decide the fate of the Catalan declaration of independence from Spain, capping off a day of furious reversals. The announcement follows a dramatic reversal from the Catalan leader who until just a few hours ago, was expected to announce that he’d call an early election in the region to avoid Spain’s takeover of the Catalan government. In the last moment he decided against it, saying there were no guarantees from the Spanish government it would be implemented while facing rebellion from his separatist allies at home; as a result he has washed his hands and decided to leave a decision on independence to his parliament.

Puigdemont made the announcement before a scheduled appearance before the Catalan Parliament on Thursday evening. According to the NYT, he said he made the decision after he had failed to secure a commitment from the central government that it would not take control of the region if he called early elections.

Read moreSpain Showdown: Catalan Parliament To Decide On Independence Tomorrow, Chaos To Follow

Catalan Separatists Rebel Against Their Leader, Shout “Traitors” Outside Puigdemont’s Office

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– Catalan Separatists Rebel Against Their Leader, Shout “Traitors” Outside Puigdemont’s Office: 

It didn’t take much for Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to turn from hero to villain for the local separatists.

Shortly after news hit that Puigdemont would not be declaring independence but would instead seek new elections, some time around Dec. 30, Catalan separatists revelled against his plan to draw back from declaring independence as Spanish authorities finalize plans to oust his insurgent administration. A crowd gathered in the square in front of the Catalan government palace chanted “traitoers” and “Attention, PdeCat, patience is over.”

Read moreCatalan Separatists Rebel Against Their Leader, Shout “Traitors” Outside Puigdemont’s Office

Catalan Government Said To Back Off Independence Push, Will Seek Elections; Spanish Stocks Soar, Yields Tumble

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– Catalan Government Said To Back Off Independence Push, Will Seek Elections; Spanish Stocks Soar, Yields Tumble:

Several Catalan media outlets reported the Catalan First Minister, Carles Puigdemont, has just dissolved or is about to dissolve the Catalan regional parliament and call new regional elections in a bid to avoid the central government applying Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to suspend home rule in Catalonia.

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Catalan Separatist Leader: “Spain Leaves No Option But To Proclaim New Republic”

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– Catalan Separatist Leader: “Spain Leaves No Option But To Proclaim New Republic”:

Just hours after Puigdemont snubbed Madrid, canceling his visit to The Senate to discuss their imposition of Article 155, Catalan Deputy First Minister Oriol Junqueras told AP that the Spanish government had left Catalonia “no other option” but to proclaim a new republic.

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Spanish leader moves aggressively to clip Catalonia’s wings

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– Spanish leader moves aggressively to clip Catalonia’s wings:

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy left the nation breathless when he announced the steps he wants to take to crush the separatist movement in the prosperous Catalonia region.

Rajoy called on Spain’s Senate on Saturday to trigger a previously untapped section of the constitution that allows the central government to temporarily intervene in the running of a region if its leaders have broken the law.

Activating the constitutional authority granted by Article 155 is Madrid’s boldest response so far to avowals from Catalonia’s leaders to declare independence based on an Oct. 1 referendum that a court has judged as illegal.

Read moreSpanish leader moves aggressively to clip Catalonia’s wings

Catalonia’s Political Crisis Snowballs into an Economic Crisis

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– Catalonia’s Political Crisis Snowballs into an Economic Crisis:

Independence would be “horrific” and amount to “financial suicide,” said Spain’s Economy Minister. But financial suicide for whom?

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H/t reader Squodgy.

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“It’s A Coup”: Catalan President Slams “Worst Attack” By Spain “Since Franco Dictatorship”

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 Remember that it has been predicted that Spian will have a civil war before WW3.

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Catalan regional vice-president Oriol Junqueras and Catalan regional president
Carles Puigdemont attend a demonstration on October 21, 2017 in Barcelona

– “It’s A Coup”: Catalan President Slams “Worst Attack” By Spain “Since Franco Dictatorship”:

Update (1510ET): Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont addressed Catalans, Spaniards, and the rest of Europe on TV saying that the Spanish states’ imposition of Article 155 means “liquidation of our self-government and cancellation of the democratic will of Catalans”.

Puigdemont said Mr Rajoy had set out to “humiliate” Catalonia in an “attack on democracy” and said removing powers from Catalonia was the “worst attack against the institutions and the people of Catalonia since the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco”.

Puigdemont also said Spain “closed the doors ot a request for talks, and should set a date to discuss the attack” and “Catalan institutions cannot accept attack by Spain.”

In a striking accusation, the Catalan president said that “Catalan institutions dealt a coup by Spanish state.”

Puigdemont then switched to English to appeal to Europeans, says democracy also at risk in Europe: “Catalonia is an ancient European nation”. He also announced a session in Catalan parliament to debate “the attempt to liquidate our self-government”.

Read more“It’s A Coup”: Catalan President Slams “Worst Attack” By Spain “Since Franco Dictatorship”

Bank Run Imminent: Catalan Separatists Urge Supporters To Pull Cash From Bank

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– Bank Run Imminent: Catalan Separatists Urge Supporters To Pull Cash From Bank:

As tensions escalate in Spain, Catalan Separatists are potentially about to do some real damage and hit Madrid where it really hurts.

In a tweeted message to their 270,000 followers, Assemblea Nacional urged supporters to pull cash from CaixaBank and Banco Sabadell branches between 8 am and 9am Friday to protest at their decision to shift their legal domiciles out of the region…

Read moreBank Run Imminent: Catalan Separatists Urge Supporters To Pull Cash From Bank

Spain To Activate Article 155 Process, Suspending Catalonia Autonomy

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– Spain To Activate Article 155 Process, Suspending Catalonia Autonomy:

Spain announced it will trigger the so-called “nuclear option” of Article 155 under the Spanish Constitution, and move ahead with the process of suspending Catalan autonomy and the powers of the local government, after Regional President Carles Puigdemont for the second time in four days refused to comply with a Spanish ultimatum to clearly drop his claim to independence.

Read moreSpain To Activate Article 155 Process, Suspending Catalonia Autonomy

Catalan Leader Vows To Declare Independence If Spain Triggers “Nuclear Option”

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Civil war coming to Spain (as predicted)?

– Catalan Leader Vows To Declare Independence If Spain Triggers “Nuclear Option”:

The Catalan leader said today he would formally declare independence Thursday morning if Mariano Rajoy follows through with his threat to invoke the so-called “nuclear option” of Article 155 and suspend Catalonia’s regional autonomy – a decision that would likely lead to the arrest of Puigdemont and his government, followed by another violent crackdown on separatists.

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First Scotland, Then Catalonia. And Now? Milan and Venice (NYT)

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– First Scotland, Then Catalonia. And Now? Milan and Venice:

MILAN — Catalonia has been racked by sound and fury over a drive to secede from Spain, but on a recent morning in Lombardy, which will vote on Sunday on whether to demand greater autonomy from Italy, the mood was distinctly more laid back.

Men and women who looked as though they had just stepped out of a fashion store display perused stylish goods. Tourists snapped selfies in front of the richly sculpted facade of the Duomo, the colossal cathedral of Milan, the capital of Lombardy. Members of the sharp-suited Milanese business class gobbled down panini in the countless new eateries that have sprung up in the city center.

Read moreFirst Scotland, Then Catalonia. And Now? Milan and Venice (NYT)

Spain Constitutional Court Declares Catalan Referendum Void

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– Spain Constitutional Court Declares Catalan Referendum Void:

While it will not come as a surprise to anyone following ongoing events in Spain, moments ago the country’s Constitutional Court said on Tuesday the referendum law passed by the Catalan government Sept. 6 to hold a vote on independence was unconstitutional and void, a spokesman said. The court’s full statement can be found here, while the opinion is at this link.

The court had originally suspended the referendum law as it studied its legality, though the Catalan government went ahead with the ballot regardless.

According to the Court, the Catalan legislation, approved by the region on Sept. 6 and suspended by the court the following day, usurped powers of the State to hold referendums. It also violated the principle that the Spanish nation is indissoluble.

Read moreSpain Constitutional Court Declares Catalan Referendum Void

Catalan Independence Movement Furious After Spain Jails Two Leaders For Possible Sedition

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– Catalan Independence Movement Furious After Spain Jails Two Leaders For Possible Sedition:

Political prisoners in Europe used to be a thing of the past; as of Monday afternoon, Spain has two.

Spanish judge Carmen Lamela has ruled that the leaders of the two biggest grassroots pro-independence associations in Catalonia should remain in prison without bail on possible charges of sedition for which, if convicted, they could face prison sentences of up to 10 years.

Read moreCatalan Independence Movement Furious After Spain Jails Two Leaders For Possible Sedition

Pepe Escobar: The Spanish Civil War, revisited – Puigdemont’s political twist could invoke a lethal response from Madrid

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– The Spanish Civil War, revisited:

Puigdemont’s political twist could invoke a lethal response from Madrid: suspension of Catalonia’s government

By Pepe Escobar

Call it theatre of the absurd – with a lethal subtext. Under pressure from all corners – even Donald Tusk, president of the EU Council – in his fateful date with destiny Carles Puigdemont, President of Catalonia, came up with some last-minute judo dialectics. He issued a non-denial denial Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Spain. What was declared was immediately suspended; the Republic of Catalonia lasted for six seconds.

The deft political gambit left Madrid predictably bewildered. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a.k.a. nano-Franco, issued an ultimatum; you have five days to say if you declared independence or not.

Independent of the answer, Madrid’s nuclear option remains on the cards; infamous article 155 of the Constitution, which calls for the suspension of Catalonia’s government and parliament from six to 12 months.

Yet that may come with a twist; a 155 in slow motion, parallel to the hazy offer of starting a process, in six months maximum, leading to Spanish constitutional reform. Madrid needs Catalonia for this reform to succeed. So, essentially, Puigdemont just needs to say “no” for the train to start rolling.

Read morePepe Escobar: The Spanish Civil War, revisited – Puigdemont’s political twist could invoke a lethal response from Madrid

Madrid Gives Catalonia 5 Day Ultimatum To Clarify If It Declared Independence

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– Madrid Gives Catalonia 5 Day Ultimatum To Clarify If It Declared Independence:

With Spain’s prime minister having opened earlier in the day the path for Madrid to use a constitutional “nuclear option” to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy, demanding that the regional government makes clear whether it considers itself independent, moments ago Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gave Catalan President Carles Puigdemont a five day ultimatum to clarify whether he actually declared the region’s independence in his speech devoted to the highly controversial referendum, and another 3 to “rectify it.”

Spain’s leader said that it’s important for Catalonia’s leader to get his answer right on whether he declared independence or not. Rajoy, addressing Spain’s parliament, says that that Catalan president Carles Puigdemont “just needs to say he didn’t declare independence.”

Read moreMadrid Gives Catalonia 5 Day Ultimatum To Clarify If It Declared Independence