Experts warn of new civil war in Spain amid Catalonia crisis

Pundits have warned that Spain could plunge into another bloody civil war amid simmering tensions between secessionist Catalonia and the central government, Press TV reports.

“Spain has suffered enough. Spain suffered in the 1930s with a terrible civil war. Now does (Catalan President Carles) Puigdemont want to reignite that war?” asked London-based political analyst William Spring in remarks made during Press TV’s The Debate show on Friday.

The analyst further warned of a bloody confrontation between Catalans and Spanish security forces amid the ongoing standoff and asked, “Will he (Puigdemont) be dancing down the roads with skeletons like they did in the Spanish civil war? Does he want to see masses of young people in Catalonia dead or injured in a violent uprising?”

Spring also raised fears about potential disintegration of Europe “into many statelets” if Catalonia is allowed to go ahead with its secession bid.

He described the Catalan regional parliament’s declaration of independence on Friday as “an outbreak of hysteria on the part of the Catalan nationalist parties,” insisting that there is “no reason whatsoever… to dissolve the Spanish state.”

The commentator highlighted the unconstitutional nature of Catalonia’s independence drive and stressed, “I think it's an outbreak of idiocy, insanity on the part of those” who have backed up the regional leader.

Another UK-based analyst on the show, Javier Farje, who is an expert on Spain affairs, agreed with Spring, describing the Catalan effort as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

Farje also said during the October referendum “only 43 percent of people went to the polls; that means the vast majority of people (in Catalonia) did not vote for independence.”

Rejecting the “totally bizarre independence movement” in Catalonia, he further underlined that “nobody is going to recognize” the region’s independence.

Farje argued that the region’s independence bid is helping European far-right movements, which also seek “to destroy the European project” as a common agenda.

On Saturday, Spain took formal direct control of Catalonia and sacked the region’s police chief.

The dismissal of Josep Lluis Trapero, Catalonia’s highest-ranking police officer that heads the so-called Mossos d’Esquadra, was published in the official government gazette as the country is undergoing its worst political crisis in decades.

The Constitutional Court of Spain has reportedly given Catalonia three days to suspend its decision to proclaim independence.

Reactions pour in from across Europe

Meanwhile, most Western countries have vowed not to recognize Catalonia’s independence in a show of support for Spain’s central government.

Germany’s government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said Berlin was concerned about the situation in Spain since Catalonia violated the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the Spanish Constitution. He also backed Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s vow to restore constitutional order in the country.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Rajoy had his “full support” in enforcing the rule of law in Catalonia.

British Prime Minister Theresa May stated that the UK would not recognize the independence declaration since the referendum was deemed illegal by the Spanish court.

Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel also called for a peaceful settlement of the political crisis in Spain “with respect for national and international order.”

Moreover, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker further warned of “splits” and “fractures” within the European Union.

The US State Department also issued a statement, saying that Washington stands for the integrity of Spain and backs the central government’s efforts to prevent Catalonia's breakaway.

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