WEB DESK
Catalonia will declare independence from Spain in a matter of days, the leader of the autonomous region has told the BBC. In his first interview since Sunday’s referendum, Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont said his government would act at the end of this week or the beginning of next. When asked what he would do if the Spanish government were to intervene and take control of Catalonia’s government, Mr Puigdemont said it would be an error which changes everything.
Meanwhile, Spain’s King Felipe VI said organisers of the vote put themselves outside the law. He said the situation in Spain was extremely serious, calling for unity.
Hundreds of thousands of people across Catalonia have been protesting over Spanish police violence during the vote, in which nearly 900 people were hurt. Local medical officials said, during the vote, 33 police officers were also injured.
Carles Puigdemont earlier appealed for international mediation to help solve the growing crisis. Mr Puigdemont said there was currently no contact between the government in Madrid and his devolved administration. He disagreed with the European Commission’s statement on Monday that events in Catalonia were an internal issue for Spain. The central government has described the referendum as illegal.