Barcelona: We want political dialogue
- by Kelli Lowe
- in Global Media
- — Oct 8, 2017
The last Catalan government poll on the topic showed 41.1 percent were in favour of independence while 49.4 percent were against.
On Thursday Spain's constitutional court banned Catalonia's parliament from sitting next Monday and warned that MPs could face legal action if they ignored the court order.
The court subsequently suspended the upcoming Monday session of the Catalan parliament, during which it was expected to address the outcome of the popular vote.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed the club want to see discussions take place between Catalan and Spanish political leaders.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has asked for global mediation, defying Madrid and the national courts.
National Court judge Carmen Lamela summoned the Catalan officials as part of an investigation into possible sedition, which is punishable by eight to 15 years in prison under Spanish law.
Like many other Catalans, he knows this bookstore in the heart of the Spanish capital, specialized in the Catalonian literature of his region, with more than 12,000 titles.
Spain's Minister of Public Works, Inigo de la Serna, said in an interview in a local radio station that these moves are just "a first step of what could repeatedly happen" if there is a unilateral declaration of independence.
Bank of Sabadell is now headquartered in Barcelona, which sits in the country's Catalonia region.
Concern is mounting within the governments of other European Union countries about the negative impact of the crisis on the Spanish economy, the fourth largest in the euro zone, with fears of possible knock-on effects for neighbouring economies.
Meanwhile, Saturday also saw thousands of people gathered in city council squares around Spain to ask the Spanish government and the regional government of Catalonia (Generalitat) to talk about the Catalan issue.
Two banking giants could also go that route, with the fifth largest bank in Spain, Sabadell, thinking about changing its permanent seat to the town of Alicante, outside Catalonia.
The increasingly bitter dispute followed last Sunday's chaotic vote in which 90 per cent of voters backed independence, according to the regional government.
A member of Catalonia's separatist-led government has called for a "cease-fire" with Spain to decrease tensions after a disputed referendum on independence by the prosperous region.
This would ensure the banks remained within the eurozone and under the supervision of the European Central Bank, even if Catalonia broke away from Spain.
"Look, I am saying that the Civil Guard and the National Police will stay in Catalonia as long as things do not return to normal", he said, without giving any timeline on the deployment.
