Catalonia will separate from Spain by 'the end of this week'
T he BBC has reported that Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont will declare independence from Spain by "the end of this week or the beginning of next".In the interview with BBC, Puigdemont — who is the President of the Catalonia government, and driving figurehead behind the independence movement — also said that if the Spanish government was to intervene it would be "an error that changes everything". Earlier yesterday, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in the centre of Barcelona to protest what Puigdemont described as "unjustified, disproportionate and irresponsible" violence at the Catalan referendum vote on Sunday, as well as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s dismissal of the vote as "illegal". King Felipe made an address in response to the strike, accusing the Catalan government of breaking the law. "They have broken the democratic principles of the rule of law... With their irresponsible conduct they could put at risk t