A recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court, has ignited mass protests across Barcelona and the entire Catalonia region. The court sentenced nine separatist leaders, up to thirteen years in prison, for their role in the 2017 Catalonia Independence referendum. At the time, Catalans voted for independence, but the Spanish government ruled the results unconstitutional and imposed direct rule of the region. Now pro-independence leaders are demanding talks with Madrid.

To discuss all of this:

• Sohail Jannessari is a doctoral candidate at Pompeu Fabra University and supports independence.
• Pablo Pardo is the US bureau chief for El Mundo, Spain’s second largest newspaper.
• Andrew Dowling is a senior lecturer at Cardiff University and the author of “The Rise of Catalan Independence”

For more:

The Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police force, is feeling "defenseless" following the regional executive's failure to press charges against individuals whose actions resulted in injured officers. https://t.co/sDG9WHOrdb

— El País English Edition (@elpaisinenglish) October 23, 2019

OPINION: What the Catalan protests mean for the Barcelona property market https://t.co/oJ5WeDFCOr

— The Local Spain (@TheLocalSpain) October 24, 2019