Catalonia’s government vows to defy Spanish state by holding referendum on independence, expressing regret that Scotland did not set a separatist precedent for the European Union.
President of Catalonia Artur Mas speaks during a press conference
The Spanish government faces a major constitutional crisis in the coming weeks as Catalans set on breaking away from Spain push ahead for their own referendum on self-rule.
Artur Mas, the president of the Catalonia’s regional government in Barcelona, insisted on Friday that the Catalans would fight the full weight of Spanish state to hold their own “consultation” after the Scottish vote has “shown the way”.
“My main commitment is to call, to organise and hold a referendum and let the Catalan people vote,” he said.
“If they think in Madrid that by using legal frameworks they can stop the political will of the majority of the Catalan people they are wrong. It is a big mistake. It is something we will have to fight for.”
The Catalan leader shrugged off defeat for Scottish independence by insisting the referendum was a triumph of democracy but admitted that the No vote had failed to set a trailblazing precedent that would have forced the EU to deal with separatism.
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