Catalonia fights on for independence vote

BARCELONA: Catalan leaders launched a legal battle Tuesday to get their drive for a referendum on independence from Spain back on track after a court suspended it. Angry separatists in the region planned protests after Spain's Constitutional Court halted the plan to hold the vote on Nov. 9.
The speaker of the wealthy northeastern region's Parliament, Nuria de Gispert, said the assembly would demand that the court "immediately lift" its suspension of the referendum.
The court on Monday suspended the non-binding referendum following an appeal from Spain's central government that says the vote is unconstitutional. The court's unanimous decision to hear the government's case triggered the automatic suspension of the referendum until judges can hear arguments and make a decision.
The Catalan government had launched a publicity campaign to inform voters about the referendum after the region's president Artur Mas on Saturday signed a decree calling for the vote to be held on Nov. 9.