Divisions deepen as Spain's king condemns Catalan leaders

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Spain's King Felipe VI on Tuesday accused Catalan secessionist leaders of shattering democratic principles and dividing Catalan society, as thousands took to the streets to protest against a violent police crackdown against the banned independence referendum held on Sunday.

The televised speech, a rare intervention by the 49-year-old monarch who is normally silent on politics, was a sign of how deeply Spain has been shaken by the Catalan vote and a police crackdown that injured 900 people.

On Tuesday tens of thousands of Catalans demonstrated in the streets of the northeastern region against action by the police who tried to disrupt Sunday's vote by firing rubber bullets and charging into crowds with truncheons. Tuesday's protests shut down road traffic, public transport and businesses.

Riot police face off with demonstrators outside a polling station for the banned independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 1, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The referendum and its aftermath have plunged Spain into its worst constitutional crisis in decades, and are a political test for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a conservative who has taken a hard line stance on the issue.

Catalonia will declare independence from Spain in a matter of days, Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the autonomous region told BBC late Tuesday in his first interview since Sunday's referendum. Puigdemont said his government would "act at the end of this week or the beginning of next."

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Source(s): Reuters