As Catalonia Independence Referendum Nears, Madrid Escalates Tensions<br />Raül Romeva told that The issue that is at stake today isn’t the independence — or not — of Catalonia,<br />20, 2017<br />MADRID — The Spanish police detained more than a dozen people in the region of Catalonia on Wednesday,<br />drastically escalating tensions between the national government and Catalan separatists.<br />As the referendum date nears, Mr. Rajoy, who leads a minority government, finds himself under increasing<br />pressure in Madrid to explain how the conflict over possible Catalan secession spun out of control.<br />On Wednesday, Miquel Iceta, the leader of the Socialist Party of Catalonia, called on the regional government to abandon plans for the October referendum<br />and stop fueling a secessionist conflict, "which will lead us all toward disaster." Follow Raphael Minder on Twitter @RaphaelMinder.<br />The police raided the offices of the Catalan regional government early Wednesday<br />and arrested at least 14 people, including Josep Maria Jové, secretary general of economic affairs.<br />Recent opinion polls have shown support for Catalan independence waning, but they also show<br />that most people in the region want the right to vote on Catalonia’s future.
