Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. With the referendum’s passing vote, the Catalan Republic was born, and it is supported by the legitimacy of the ballot boxes. Today in Catalonia there is a clear dissociation between the democratic will of citizens and the central government, which has set out to take over the people’s institutions and control them despotically. The Spanish government’s usurpation of institutions through Article 155 of the Constitution, a tool that allows Madrid to take administrative control of Catalonia, has caused an outcry and our response to it has become a priority. The courage this country has shown is so enlightening and so strong that sooner or later it will result in the consolidation of the full, truly just and democratic Republic of Catalonia.

Source: New York Times November 01, 2017 10:41 UTC