PRO-INDEPENDENCE CALLS
Protesters heed general strike call in Catalonia
Barcelona — Metro stations were closed in Barcelona, pickets blocked roads and state workers walked out on Tuesday in protests across Catalonia over a Spanish police crackdown on a banned independence referendum. The stoppages, in response to a call for a general strike by unions and pro-independence groups, affected the public sector, public transport and basic services. The atmosphere in Catalonia has been feverish since the Spanish government sent in police on Sunday to stop an independence referendum, injuring hundreds of people as they tried to vote. Results showed voters overwhelmingly backed independence in the ballot, which opponents of secession mostly boycotted. The referendum has plunged Spain into its worst constitutional crisis in decades. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said the vote was valid, raising the prospect that the Catalan parliament could unilaterally declare independence from Spain within days. He also called for international mediation in the region’s disp...
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