MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Catalan independence referendum will be held despite the decision of the Spanish Constitutional Court to suspend it, Carme Forcadell, the leader of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), a pro-independence group, said Thursday.
"All the conditions have been met. The campaign has been temporarily suspended, but not the referendum," Forcadell said in an interview with El Pais.
On Monday, Spain's Constitutional Court suspended Catalonia's decree to hold an independence referendum in November. On Tuesday, the Catalan regional government said they would appeal the decision.
On September 27, Catalan President Artur Mas signed a decree scheduling Catalonia's independence referendum for November 9. The same day the Spanish government announced that it would block the consultation by appealing to the Constitutional Court.
The ANC urged secessionists to take to the streets to protest the court's decision to suspend the referendum. Mas called for protest campaigns to be suspended to keep civilians safe but noted that the Monday suspension of the referendum did not mean that it was illegal.
