27 Oct, 2017 @ 20:28
1 min read

Fears of mass violence as Mariano Rajoy dissolves Catalan parliament and imposes direct rule on Catalunya in unprecedented move

Mariano Rajoy
RAJOY: Outlines timetable for formation of new Catalan government

PRIME Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he is dissolving the Catalan parliament after it voted to declare independence earlier today.

The Spanish leader said the unprecedented move to impose direct rule on the region was essential to ‘recover normality’.

He is also sacking Catalan leader Carles Puigedemont and his cabinet.

It comes as thousands of people have gathered in Barcelona to celebrate the independence declaration.

There are growing fears that violence will erupt if Spanish police repeat the police crackdown seen in the recent referendum.

Rajoy has declared that there will be snap Catalan elections on December 21.

The region will remain under Madrid control until then.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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