Both men are being investigated for alleged sedition in the run-up to the regional independence referendum two weeks ago. Q&A Why does the Spanish government say the Catalan referendum is illegal? Show Hide The Spanish government argues that any referendum on Catalan independence would be illegal because the country’s 1978 constitution makes no provision for a vote on self-determination. The Spanish constitutional court, which has suspended the referendum law pushed through the Catalan parliament in September, is looking into whether the law breaches the constitution. Rajoy’s government is a disaster.”The protests came as the constitutional court announced that it had annulled the Catalan law that had paved the way for the referendum.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2017 13:56 UTC