Tag: catalan independence

Football: Catalan crisis leaves Barca between rock and a hard place

by Kieran CANNING Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces the club’s members at an annual general meeting on Saturday fighting an increasingly difficult battle to balance the conflicting interests of fans in favor of Catalan independence and millions of supporters in the rest of Spain and around the world. A powerful symbol of Catalonia, Barca have been caught in the political crossfire since an independence referendum for the wealthy northeastern region […]

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Small far-left party agitates for Catalan independence

  by Laurence Boutreux Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain – A far-left party which holds the balance of power in Catalonia’s parliament is using its influence to push for an immediate declaration of independence and launch a campaign of civil disobedience. With Spain threatening to seize some of the pro-independence Catalan government’s powers, the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) party has deployed its preferred weapon: street agitation. The staunchly separatist and anti-capitalist party has called for protesters to gather Thursday […]

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Catalan leaders under pressure over independence threat

by Daniel Silva and Diego Urdaneta Agence France-Presse BARCELONE, Spain – Catalan leaders came under intense domestic and international pressure Monday to halt plans to break away from Spain after the region’s president repeated his threat to declare independence and the government warned it would act to block it. The sides dug in as the clock ticked down to a Tuesday evening session in the regional parliament where separatists have called for an independence declaration, a plan that […]

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Catalan independence would not be recognized: France

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Catalan independence would not enjoy international recognition, France’s minister for European affairs said Monday as the Spanish region’s leader threatens to announce a split. Pressure has mounted on Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to back down after hundreds of thousands of protesters last week rallied to defend national unity. “If there were a declaration of independence it would be unilateral and it wouldn’t be recognized,” Nathalie Loiseau said on CNews digital […]

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Protesters rally against Catalan independence in Barcelona

by Daniel Silva and Diego Urdaneta Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Protesters flocked to Barcelona on Sunday wrapped in Spanish flags to rally against plans by separatist leaders to declare Catalonia independent following a banned secession referendum. Catalans calling themselves a “silent majority” opposed to leaving Spain broke their silence after a week of mounting anxiety over Spain’s worst political crisis in a generation. Hundreds of people gathered on the city’s Urquinaona square waving red and […]

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What next as Catalan crisis escalates?

by Daniel Bosque and Michaela Cancela-Kieffer Agence France Presse Will Catalonia’s separatist leaders go ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence? What would Madrid’s reaction be, and what are the consequences? Independence declaration on Monday?  It is all down to Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. He’s the one who decides when to press the “nuclear button” of an independence declaration. Such a move could come after the publication of the final results of the independence […]

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Spain in crisis after police violence in Catalan vote

by Patrick Rahir with Marianne Barriaux in Barcelona  with Marianne Barriaux Agence France-Presse MADRID, Spain – Spain came under international pressure Monday to resolve a spiralling crisis with its Catalan region after a banned independence referendum was marred by shocking scenes of police violence. The country’s central government vowed to stop its northeastern region breaking away from Spain after Catalonia’s leader claimed that 90 percent of voters backed independence in Sunday’s referendum, which Madrid says is unconstitutional […]

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Catalan police warn of public disorder if polling stations closed

by Daniel Bosque with Antonio Rodriguez in Madrid Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain – Catalan police warned Wednesday that public disorder may erupt as Spain orders the authorities to seal polling stations and stop the region holding a referendum on independence. The Catalan government has vowed to press ahead with Sunday’s plebiscite despite a crackdown by Madrid which wants to prevent a vote deemed unconstitutional by the courts. The referendum has deeply divided the wealthy northeastern region which is […]

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