Spanish Government to Catalonia Leaders: Do Not Cross the Line or You Will Take People with You

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has been under intense pressure since the beginning of the week to abandon plans for the declaration of independence of the region from Spain after hundreds of thousands of unionists took to the streets over the weekend to protest against such a decision.

Spain fears that the Catalan parliament could vote on independence on Tuesday, when Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is expected to address the assembly following the banned independence referendum held on October 1, which secessionists claim demonstrated the will of the Catalans to leave Spain.

Under the Catalan referendum law, which Madrid has labeled unconstitutional, a vote on independence on Tuesday would initiate a six-month negotiation process for separation from Madrid before regional elections and the final act of separation.

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However, the Spanish government, encouraged by Sunday’s protests in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, clearly stated on Monday that it would respond immediately to any voting in the assembly.

– I call on reasonable people in the Catalan government… do not cross the line or you will take people with you, said Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría in an interview with radio COPE.

– If there is a unilateral declaration of independence, decisions will be made to restore rights and democracy.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy does not rule out the removal of the Catalan government and the calling of new regional elections if Catalonia declares independence.

This is the biggest political crisis in Spain since it became a democracy four decades ago. The loss of Catalonia, a region with its own language and culture, would deprive Spain of a fifth of its economy and even a quarter of its exports. A number of companies and banks based in Catalonia have already relocated their headquarters outside the region.

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The crisis has reopened divisions in a state where fascism is a memory that can easily be revived by strong nationalist outbursts. Catalonia was a major opponent of Francisco Franco’s forces during the Spanish Civil War, which ruled Spain until his death in 1975.

Despite this, there is widespread resistance to secession among many moderate Spaniards, even among Catalans. Most unionists from the region boycotted the October 1 referendum, which the central government in Madrid banned and responded to with police violence.

Neither does the European Union want an independent Catalonia, although Puigdemont has called on Brussels to mediate in the crisis. France, which shares a border with Catalonia, stated on Monday that it would not accept a unilateral declaration of independence.

Police estimated that 350,000 people attended the protest in Barcelona on Sunday. They carried Catalan and Spanish flags through the streets of the city, chanting slogans such as “Catalonia is Spain” and “Together we are stronger.”

Protests, Not Talks

Due to the immense pressure on Puigdemont, some predict that he will abandon the declaration of independence on Tuesday and call for regional elections, which could become a real, legally grounded referendum on secession.

However, the Catalan leader appeared determined in a television interview on Sunday when he emphasized that the regional referendum law calls for a declaration of independence in the event of a victory for the “yes” camp in the voting.

– We will apply the law, states the transcript of the conversation published by TV3.

Catalan authorities claim that about 90 percent of those who voted in the October 1 referendum support secession, but polls show that the number of those who want to remain in Spain is actually higher. 43 percent of voters turned out for the referendum.

Sunday’s demonstrations against independence, attended by Catalans as well as people from other parts of Spain, showed how divided the population of the region is. Just a month ago, around a million people marched for independence through the same streets.

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– We feel both as Catalans and as Spaniards, said 72-year-old Araceli Ponze, who participated in the gathering.

– We are faced with a huge unknown. We will see what happens this week, but we must be loud so they know what we want.

Puigdemont will address the Catalan parliament on Tuesday at 4 PM local time. He noted on Sunday that he had not been in contact with the central government for some time because it refuses to discuss independence.

– What is happening in Catalonia is a reality, whether they like it or not. Millions of people voted, those who wanted to decide. We must talk about it, said the leader.

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Prime Minister Rajoy has repeatedly stated that he will not talk to Catalan representatives until they abandon their plan for a declaration of independence. Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the socialists who are the main opposition party to Rajoy’s conservatives, confirmed on Monday that he would support government decisions if Catalonia declares independence.

– We will support the rule of law in any attempt to break social harmony, Sanchez said at a conference in Barcelona.