- Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has accused Spain’s King Felipe of ignoring Catalonia after its independence referenum
- Catalonia will declare independence within days, Mr Puigdemont said
- King Felipe has accused the Catalan authorities of undermining Spain’s unity
- 90% of those who voted in the referendum chose to leave Spain
- Spain called the vote illegal and sent police to shut down polling stations
- Some 900 people were injured by officers, sparking widespread protests
Bringing you the latest updates on the Catalonia independence crisis. All times BST.
10.50am: Puigdemont ‘not afraid of being arrested’
Carles Puigdemont has said that being arrested over the independence referendum is “possible” but is not something that scares him.
“Personally, I am not afraid of that,” he told the German newspaper Bild.
“And I’m not surprised anymore about what the Spanish government is doing. My arrest is also possible, which would be a barbaric step.”
Madrid has accused Puigdemont of breaking the law by ignoring a Constitutional Court ruling forbidding the referendum, but has not threatened to arrest him.
10.00am: Catalan leader says Spanish King has ‘ignored Catalonia’
The President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont has accused King Felipe of “deliberately ignoring millions of Catalans” as the region prepares to declare independence.
He spoke three days after Catalonia overwhelmingly voted to leave Spain in referendum called illegal by the Government in Madrid.
Mr Puigdemont said he regretted Felipe’s failure to condemn the police violence which marred the vote, which saw almost 900 people injured by authorities.
He accused the monarch of “deliberately ignoring millions of Catalans who do not think like the government”, and especially “the Catalans who were victims of police violence”.
“The King yesterday missed an opportunity to address all citizens to whom he owes the crown,” he said.
“He endorses the discourse and policies of the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, which have been catastrophic for Catalonia.”
Addressing Felipe directly, he added: “Your decision yesterday disappointed many people in Catalonia.”
Despite objections from the King and from the Spanish Government, Mr Puigdemont reiterated his plans to declare independence within the coming days.
“I have to represent all of Catalonia’s citizens,” he said.
“On Sunday we had a referendum under the most difficult circumstances and set an example of who we are.
“Peace and accord is part of who we are. We have to apply the results of the referendum.
“We have to present the results of the referendum to parliament.”
Mr Puigdemont’s televised address mirrored the King’s own speech which aired on Tuesday night.
Felipe made no mention of the police violence in his speech, and instead chose to condemn the Catalan authorities who organised the referendum.
He accused Mr Puigdemont’s Government of undermining the “unity of Spain” and “the right of all Spaniards to democratically decide their lives together”.
“These authorities have scorned the attachments and feelings of solidarity that have united and will unite all Spaniards,” Felipe said.
“Their irresponsible conduct could even jeopardise the economic and social stability of Catalonia and all of Spain.”
The Spanish Government has not responded to Mr Puigdemont apart from a short speech by Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy on Sunday, in which he denied that a valid referendum had taken place.
Mr Puigdemont has claimed that his attempts to contact Madrid have gone ignored, and has called on the EU to mediate.
Spain’s European Affairs Minister Jorge Toledo told Politico that there would be no third-party mediator, insisting: “You can change the law, you can oppose it, but you cannot disobey it.”
On Sunday, 2.26 million of Catalonia’s 5.3 million registered voters took part in a unilaterally organised independence referendum which Spanish police violently attempted to shut down.
Of those who voted, 90 per cent chose independence.
On Tuesday thousands of Catalans took part in a general strike protesting the police violence.