The stoppages, in response to a call for a general strike by pro-independence groups and trade unions, affected the public sector, public transport and basic services. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has said the vote was valid, raising the prospect that the Catalan parliament could unilaterally declare independence from Spain within days. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images People gather to stage a demonstration within the general strike, supporting Catalonian independence and reacting against Spanish police's intervention in polling centers. Elsewhere in Barcelona, the response to the strike call was patchy with some shops, supermarkets and cafes open and some closed. “MAFIA-LIKE BEHAVIOUR”Spain’s two largest unions, the UGT and CCOO, said on Monday their affiliates in Cataloniawould not take part in the general strike, but would support protests.

Source: Huffington Post October 03, 2017 14:03 UTC