Catalan president calls people to “democratically oppose” Madrid takeover

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont called people to “democratically oppose” Madrid's takeover of Catalonia's autonomy. In his first institutional speech at public TV after the Catalan Parliament voted to declare independence on Friday, Puigdemont appeared to make clear that he does not accept the Spanish government’s suspension of the Catalan government.

"It was a decision contrary to the will expressed in the ballot boxes," he said in a speech recorded in the Catalan government's headquarters in Girona, Puigdemont's hometown. "In a democratic society, Parliaments are the ones to appoint or dismiss presidents".

In his call for "perseverance", Puigdemont stressed the importance of keeping all actions peaceful. "Let's continue persevering with the only attitude that can make us winners: without violence or insults," he said.

Puigdemont indirectly referred to the statement by Donald Tusk, president of the European Union Council, in which he called the Spanish government to "favour force of argument, not argument of force". In response, Puigdemont said "we do not have or want the argument of force", and added that "this is the demand that everybody expects from me, also from abroad".