Catalonia And Spain Clash As Independence Vote Nears

Reuters: Spain, Catalonia clash over policing as illegal independence vote nears

MADRID (Reuters) - The mounting political crisis in Spain over Catalonia’s campaign for independence intensified on Saturday with a new row over the control of the local police force as the regional government pressed ahead with plans to hold an illegal vote next weekend.

The State prosecutor in Catalonia told all local and national police forces on Saturday that they had been temporarily placed under a single chain of command reporting directly to the interior ministry in Madrid.

But Catalonia’s interior chief, Joaquim Forn, said his department and the local police, or Mossos d‘Esquadra, did not accept this decision.

“We denounce the intervention of the state to control the police forces of Catalonia ... We will not accept this control,” Forn said in a televised speech.

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More News On Catalonia And Spain Clashing As Independence Vote

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The view from Madrid: anger and sadness as Catalans prepare for vote -- The Guardian
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