Is Spain headed for a nasty breakup? Last month, people in the Spanish region of Catalonia voted to secede from Spain and form an independent nation.
The vote, which the Spanish government has declared illegal and unconstitutional, set off weeks of chaos and confusion. On the day of the referendum, nearly 900 people were injured when police officers attacked peaceful protesters and those attempting to cast ballots. In some places, police confiscated ballot boxes. Photos of the police dragging people out of polling stations by their hair, throwing others to the ground, and firing rubber bullets into crowds were broadcast around the world, prompting widespread outrage.
“Today the Spanish state wrote another shameful page in its history with Catalonia,” said Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia’s leader.
Is Spain headed for a nasty breakup? Last month, people in the Spanish region of Catalonia voted to split from Spain and form an independent nation.
The Spanish government declared the vote to be illegal and unconstitutional. The push for independence set off weeks of chaos and confusion. On the day of the referendum, police officers attacked peaceful protesters and those attempting to cast ballots. Nearly 900 people were injured. In some places, police confiscated ballot boxes. Photos of the police dragging people out of polling stations by their hair, throwing others to the ground, and firing rubber bullets into crowds were broadcast around the world. It prompted widespread outrage.
“Today the Spanish state wrote another shameful page in its history with Catalonia,” said Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia’s leader.