“The ballots say Yes to independence this is the will that I want to go forward with.” He had been expected to declare independence. His speech marked a critical point in a decade-long standoff between Catalan separatists and Spain’s central authorities. Some feared a drastic backlash from the Spanish central authorities. The Catalan parliament’s governing board acknowledged Tuesday morning it had received the results of last week’s disputed independence referendum. Hundreds of thousands have turned out for street protests in Barcelona and other towns in the past month to back Catalan independence and protest against police violence during the vote.

Source: thestar October 10, 2017 15:01 UTC