A Chance to Defuse the Catalonia Crisis
This is a dangerous and volatile moment for both Madrid and Barcelona. Both sides should keep calm and negotiate
Despite renewed calls for dialogue with Madrid, the proclamation makes a negotiated solution more difficult as Mr Rajoy has said he would not talk to the Catalan leaders until they drop plans for independence
To avoid calamity, ask Catalans what they really want
A former journalist, with a Beatles mop-top haircut, he was already calling for separation from Spain on the streets of Barcelona in the early 1980s, when secessionism was a marginal movement in Catalonia
Madrid says referendum is illegal and can't happen
Since the referendum law was passed in the Catalan Parliament on September 6th, Catalonia has witnessed severe judicial and police actions against Catalonia's population and its representatives.
Catalan mayors are also being summoned to court for supporting the vote, and they have been threatened with arrest if they do not comply