Will the Catalan separatist movement take down the Spanish government after all?


Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has found himself in quite a bind as he faces pressure on multiple political fronts, reports The New York Times.
National trials for 12 Catalan leaders who attempted to secede from Spain in October 2017 began on Tuesday, while Sánchez's government made a last-ditch effort to pass the national budget, which relies on the support of Catalan separatists.
Incumbent Catalan nationalist leaders have generally supported Sánchez and his minority Socialist government since he came to power in June following a vote of no-confidence against the previous conservative government. But they have maintained that unless Sánchez considers another Catalan independence referendum, they will vote against the national budget, which the Times reports will likely force Sánchez to call elections.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At the same time, thousands of Spaniards took to the street in Madrid on Sunday in protest over Sánchez's more conciliatory tone toward the Catalan secessionists. The protesters hope that the trial judges hand down tough penalties to the defendants — some of whom face up to 25 years in prison for inciting rebellion — in order to deter any future secessionist movements.
But Spain is also wary of going too far with the trials, per The Guardian, for fear that implementing such strong penalties could lead to public backlash across Europe.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
How quarterly estimated tax payments work and when they are due
The Explainer Freelancers, small business owners and those with a side hustle may need to make more frequent tax payments
-
'Alligator Alcatraz will be a blight on the Everglades'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday