Catalan Leader Calls For Independence Vote As Protests Continue

Catalonia is expected to hold a new vote on independence from Spain in the space of two years, the head of the region’s government has said in a fresh challenge to Spain following days of violent protest by pro-separatist protesters.

Quim Torra told the Catalan parliament, “We’ll return to the ballot box again on self-determination.”

Torra’s comments in parliament on Thursday was prompted by thousands of students who took to the streets of Barcelona in protest over the Supreme Court’s decision to jail separatist leaders for their role in a 2017 referendum that Madrid deemed illegal.

Tensions in the semi-autonomous region have reached its peak since Monday, when Spain’s top court found nine politicians and activists guilty of sedition and sentenced them to up to 13 years in jail.

Recall that Catalan leaders had declared independence from Spain following the banned referendum, prompting the Spanish government to immediately seize control of the Catalan administration and arrest the ringleaders.