Catalonia refuses to give up on independence; separatists stage protests.
Catalonia refused on Tuesday to accept the Spanish government's demand to renounce a symbolic declaration of independence, putting it on a political collision course with Madrid this week; the Spanish government threatened to place Catalonia, which represents a fifth of the economy, under direct central control if its government does not abandon independence by Thursday; but the Catalan government rejected Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's deadline; "Giving up is not part of this government's scenarios," said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull. "On Thursday, we will not give anything different from what we gave on Monday."
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia refused on Tuesday to accept the Spanish government's demand to renounce a symbolic declaration of independence, putting it on a political collision course with Madrid this week.
The Spanish government has threatened to place Catalonia, which represents a fifth of the economy, under direct central control if its government does not abandon its independence by Thursday.
But the Catalan government rejected Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's deadline.
"Giving up is not part of this government's plans," said the Catalan government spokesman, Jordi Turull. "On Thursday, we will not give anything different from what we gave on Monday."
Spain's biggest political crisis in decades worsened on Monday night when Madrid's Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the leaders of Catalonia's two main separatist groups pending an investigation into alleged insubordination.
The Catalan government accused Madrid of detaining "political prisoners," and tens of thousands of protesters gathered along Diagonal Avenue in Barcelona to demand their release.
People raised lit candles, whistled, and shouted "freedom" and "down with the occupying forces."
"There shouldn't be political prisoners in a democratic country in the 21st century. This country is not democratic. I'm here to support democracy," said Alicia Cabreriza, a 26-year-old computer programmer.
The protests ended peacefully around 18 PM (Brasilia time).
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont tweeted after the arrests: "Unfortunately, we have political prisoners again."
The phrase was an allusion to the military dictatorship under Francisco Franco, when Catalan culture and language were systematically repressed. The publication carries an emotional resonance, since fascism is still a vivid memory for many Spaniards.
Justice Minister Rafael Catala responded by saying that the arrest of the leaders of the Catalan National Assembly and Omnium was a judicial decision, not a political one.
"We can talk about politicians in prison, but not about political prisoners," he said. "These are not political prisoners because the decision to arrest them yesterday was based on an (alleged) crime."
The crisis deepened divisions at the heart of Spain's young democracy, highlighting the complex sense of nationalism in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. In Madrid, residents decorated their homes with Spanish national flags, while buildings in Barcelona were filled with Catalan flags.