{"id":7106,"date":"2017-10-27T20:08:09","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T19:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=7106"},"modified":"2017-10-27T20:08:09","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T19:08:09","slug":"catalonia-declares-independence-from-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/catalonia-declares-independence-from-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Catalonia declares independence from Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Catalonia\"The Spanish government moved to impose direct rule over Catalonia on Friday, stripping the region of its autonomy less than an hour after its parliament declared independence in a stunning show of defiance to Madrid.
\nAlthough the Catalan declaration appears to be a doomed gesture, both sides\u2019 moves take Spain\u2019s worst political crisis in four decades to a new and possibly dangerous level.
\nSpanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for calm and said the rule of law would be restored in Catalonia, where secessionists have long cherished the dream of a separate nation.
\nA crowd of more than 2,000 independence supporters gathered in the Ciutadella Park outside the regional parliament in Barcelona, shouting \u201cLiberty\u201d in Catalan and singing traditional songs as the independence vote went through.
\nThe motion passed in the parliament after a passionate debate from advocates and opponents of independence said Catalonia constituted an independent, sovereign and social democratic state.
\nCatalan leader Carles Puigdemont left the chamber to shouts of \u201cPresident!\u201d and mayors who had come from outlying areas brandished their ceremonial batons and sang the Catalan anthem \u201cEls Segadors\u201d (The Reapers).
\n\u201cCatalonia is and will be a land of freedom. In times of difficulty and in times of celebration. Now more than ever,\u201d Puigdemont said on Twitter.
\nBut immediately after news of the vote, which three opposition parties boycotted, Spanish shares and bonds were sold off, reflecting business concern over the turmoil in the wealthy region.
\nWithin an hour, the upper house of Spain\u2019s parliament in Madrid authorized Rajoy\u2019s government to rule Catalonia directly \u2014 an unprecedented move in Spain since the return of democracy in the late 1970s.
\nIn Brussels, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said the independence vote changed nothing and the EU would only deal with the central government.
\nThe United States, Britain, France and Germany also swiftly dismissed the declaration and expressed support for Rajoy\u2019s efforts to keep Spain united.<\/p>\n

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