Post by robeiae on Oct 2, 2017 10:09:53 GMT -5
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41463719
One of the strangest sights this weekend was Barcelona's home game. It was played in an empty stadium: www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/oct/02/barcelona-in-strange-and-symbolic-eye-of-a-storm-over-catalonia
It's a tough situation. The Spanish government was, I think, in a no-win situation. If they had not actively opposed the voting to some degree, it would have added some measure of legitimacy to the process. But now, they look like they engaged in strong-arm tactics.
For the Catalans, I'm not sure where they go from here, legally speaking.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont says the Spanish region has won the right to statehood following a contentious referendum that was marred by violence.
He said the door was open to a unilateral declaration of independence after Catalan officials said voters had backed secession with a 42.3% turnout.
Spain's government has warned it could suspend Catalan autonomy.
The constitutional court banned the vote and almost 900 people were hurt as police tried to stop it going ahead.
Officers from the national police and paramilitary Civil Guard seized ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been fooled into taking part in an illegal vote.
More than 2.2 million people were reported to have voted, according to Catalan authorities, out of 5.3 million registered voters. Just under 90% of those who voted backed independence, they said.
He said the door was open to a unilateral declaration of independence after Catalan officials said voters had backed secession with a 42.3% turnout.
Spain's government has warned it could suspend Catalan autonomy.
The constitutional court banned the vote and almost 900 people were hurt as police tried to stop it going ahead.
Officers from the national police and paramilitary Civil Guard seized ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been fooled into taking part in an illegal vote.
More than 2.2 million people were reported to have voted, according to Catalan authorities, out of 5.3 million registered voters. Just under 90% of those who voted backed independence, they said.
It's a tough situation. The Spanish government was, I think, in a no-win situation. If they had not actively opposed the voting to some degree, it would have added some measure of legitimacy to the process. But now, they look like they engaged in strong-arm tactics.
For the Catalans, I'm not sure where they go from here, legally speaking.
