Crackdown by Spain on Peaceful Voters Who Favor Catalonia Independence Recalls Franco Regime

In an extended interview, we get an update on developments in Spain, where tensions are escalating over Sunday’s independence referendum in the northeast region of Catalonia. More than 800 people were injured after Spanish police stormed polling stations and tried to forcibly prevent people from voting, firing tear gas and physically attacking prospective voters. Late on Sunday night, the Catalan regional government said 90 percent of Catalan voters chose independence. The Catalan government now says it plans to unilaterally declare independence from Spain within 48 hours. Spain says it will recognize neither the results of the referendum nor a declaration of independence. The escalating conflict is being described as the biggest constitutional crisis in Spain since the end of the Franco dictatorship in the 1970s. For more, we speak with Sebastiaan Faber, professor of Hispanic studies at Oberlin College and author of the forthcoming book "Memory Battles of the Spanish Civil WarHistory, Fiction, Photography." He’s the coauthor of an article in The Nation headlined "Have Spain and Catalonia Reached a Point of No Return?" We also speak with Pau Faus, filmmaker and writer from Barcelona, Spain. His recent documentary "Ada for Mayor" follows the campaign of Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau.

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