Puigdemont Rejects Possibility of Civil War in Spain Over Catalan Independence

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Spain will not be mired in a civil war because of the Catalan struggle for independence, former Catalonia's President Carles Puigdemont said.

"No, let us be serious. Have you seen what has been happening in Catalonia for the past seven years? Have you seen demonstrations with millions participants without any incident? These were the biggest peaceful demonstrations in modern history," Puigdemont told the RTBF broadcaster answering a question on whether he was afraid of the eruption of a civil war in Spain.

He pointed out that the Catalan independence movement was "unbelievably peaceful".

On October 27, the Catalan government adopted a resolution on the region's independence from Spain. The Spanish Parliament's upper house, in response, voted to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, introducing the direct governance of the Spanish authorities in Catalonia. Madrid also dissolved the Catalan government and called a snap parliamentary election for December 21.

On Thursday, a Spanish court ordered to put eight former members of the Catalan government, including ousted Vice President Oriol Junqueras, into custody without the possibility of bail. They are accused of organizing an uprising and embezzling state funds. Puigdemont as well as other four ex-ministers are currently in Belgium and did not appear before the court. On Friday, Spain issued a European Arrest Warrant for Puigdemont and the four ministers.

Puigdemont also said he had left Spain for Belgium in order to prevent a wave of violence in Catalonia. "I arrived in Brussels in order to prevent the emergence of a confrontational situation. Many people were ready for resistance," Puigdemont said.

He also expressed his wish to participate in the regional elections scheduled for December 21. "I can take part in the campaign as everybody else because we live in a globalized world," Puigdemont claimed.