Catalonia Crisis: Protests after Spanish government's decision to strip region of autonomy
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Turning to Spain, where hundreds of thousands people in Catalonia have taken to the streets to protest against the Spanish central government's plan to impose direct rule on the autonomous region. Spain's senate is expected to vote on the measure within a week. Catalan's leader has responded without declaring independence. CGTN's Stephanie Freid reports from Barcelona.
 
STEPHANIE FREID BARCELONA "It's only been a few hours since Spain's prime minister announced that the central government of Spain is going to strip away many of the autonomous powers that this region enjoyes and this is the result that a turnout of protesters who want their voices to be heard."
 
"They're chanting 'independence', they're chanting 'freedom', they're also calling for some of the people, some of the pro-independence leaders who have been arrested, they're calling for them to be released. One of the key figures also here - Carles Puidgemont. He is the president of this region.
 
The protests are becoming more and more commonplace in Barcelona, but one of the major questions being asked: Is there enough support for independence? Because the numbers are split fifty-fifty among the population those who want to break away from the Spanish Central government and those who don't.
 
On Friday the Central government's Senate meets, they're going to vote on the measures announced on Saturday. STEPHANIE FREID, CGTN, BARCELONA