Television footage of Guardia Civil officers in riot gear manhandling Catalonian citizens as they tried to vote in Sunday's independence referendum has shocked Europe.
But this is not a simple case of a state denying the democratic rights of its people. The crisis in Catalonia is the result of a clash between increasingly radical separatism and a constitutional framework that is too rigid to accommodate those demands.
To de-escalate the situation, Mariano Rajoy, Spain's prime mi...
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Already a member? Login hereMatthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.
Matthew is EUobserver's Opinion Editor. He joined EUobserver in June 2018. Previously he worked as a reporter for The Guardian in London, and as editor for AFP in Paris and DPA in Berlin.