Catalonia Reacts To Independence Vote

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
In this Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017 photo, an elderly lady is applauded as she celebrates after voting at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government at the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)
An elderly lady is applauded as she celebrates after voting at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government at the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)
In this Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017 photo, an elderly lady is applauded as she celebrates after voting at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government at the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)
An elderly lady is applauded as she celebrates after voting at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government at the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)

Catalonia Reacts To Independence Vote

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

About 90 percent of voters in Catalonia support independence from Spain, regional officials have said.

Despite a block from Spain’s constitutional court, the vote went ahead on Sunday. Spanish authorities are moving to invoke a clause in the constitution to strip self-governance from autonomous regions like Catalonia, something that may end up being seen as a regression by independence supporters. 

The vote took place after police violently cracked down on independence supporters. Many independence supporters said Spain is strong-arming them into obedience, and it’s only hardening their resolve to be independent. Catalan officials said that a formal declaration of independence could come as soon as Wednesday. 

Luis Corteguera, professor and associate chair of Department of History at University of Kansas, joined Worldview to discuss reactions to the referendum.