MADRID (AP) — Separatists in Spain's Catalonia region are using the anniversary of their explosive independence vote to regain momentum from an event that divided families and challenged Spanish democracy.
The referendum took place amid police violence one year ago Monday. The simmering ideological tensions that came to a head that day persist in the lives of most Catalans.
Clashes between far-left separatists and Catalan police in Barcelona on Saturday left 24 people injured and led to six arrests. Separatists have called on supporters to flood the streets again on Monday.
The region's new president and Spain's new prime minister have made gestures that signal a desire for agreement. But observers fear an eventual reconciliation could derail over the status of imprisoned separatist leaders and the unresolved question of Catalonia's future in Spain.
