Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is bringing the full weight of the state to bear to prevent Catalonia’s independence referendum.<br /><br />His government has passed measures to tighten control of the autonomous region’s spending to stop it using state cash to pay for next month’s ballot which Madrid has declared illegal.<br /><br />Addressing his conservative Popular Party in the Catalan capital of Barcelona on Friday, Rajoy said: “No state in the world can accept…the things that are being proposed here. <br /><br />“We have told them: you are making a mistake and you will force us to do things we don’t want to do. <br /><br />“There won’t be a referendum, there won’t be one!”<br /><br />Armed police have raided print works and newspaper offices in Catalonia in search of voting papers and ballot boxes to be used in the referendum – to no avail.<br /><br />And hundreds of Catalan mayors have been summoned for questioning over their support for the vote.<br /><br />Spain’s Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro said a mechanism has been approved to allow central government to take over the funding of most essential public services in Catalonia.<br /><br />Spain tightens control over Catalan spending as tensions soar https://t.co/N4gv3pvAaX pic.twitter.com/Loyc5J6LJd— The Local Spain (@TheLocalSpain) 16 septembre 2017<br /><br />Madrid is demanding guarantees from authorities in the wealthy region of northeastern Spain that public cash won’t be used to fund the referendum<br /><br />Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is not backing down however. He and his supporters are determined to go ahead with the ballot on October 1.<br /><br />Puigdemont and Barcelona’s mayor Ada Colau have written to Rajoy and Spain’s King Felipe, complaining of “an unprecedented repression offensive” but calling for political dialogue.<br /><br />Catalan youths drive push for independence from Spain https://t.co/IejZAO9l4z pic.twitter.com/DfNSajqVsR— The Local Spain (@TheLocalSpain) 12 septembre 2017<br /><br />with Reuters<br />
