Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had demanded that the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont answer clearly: was he declaring Catalonia´s independence on the basis of the October 1st referendum results or not. Puigdemont in response demanded the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil specially deployed to Catalonia be withdrawn and repeated his offer for dialogue. In the midst of that now almost familiar stalemate, a National Court judge's decision to imprison two Catalan civic leaders - as requested by the State Prosecutors - has again ratcheted the tension. The two men, responsible for organizing the largest peaceful demonstrations in recent European history - the "Diada" marches on September 11 celebrating Catalan national identity - have been charged with "sedition" for their participation in the protests against the Spanish state's efforts to prevent the referendum.
