>> Sreenivasan: TODAY, SPAIN SAW
ITS BIGGEST PUBLIC DISPLAY OF
OPPOSITION TO SECESSION BY THE
CATALONIA REGION.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
PRO-UNION CATALANS TURNED OUT IN
THE STREETS OF BARCELONA, THE
CAPITAL OF THE BREAKAWAY REGION.
TWO DAYS AGO, CATALONIA'S
REGIONAL PARLIAMENT REAFFIRMED
LAST MONTH'S INDEPENDENCE
REFERENDUM, AND SPAIN'S CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT ASSERTED DIRECT
CONTROL OVER THE REGION,
DISMISSING ITS LEADERS AND
CALLING FOR NEW ELECTIONS.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT MALCOLM BRABANT
HAS BEEN COVERING SPAIN'S
POLITICAL CRISIS AND JOINS US
FROM BARCELONA.
MALCOLM, HELP US FIGURE THIS
OUT HERE.
ON THE ONE HAND, YOU HAVE
CATALONIANS WHO ARE SAYING "WE
ARE FREE," AND ON THE OTHER HAND
YOU HAVE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
SAYING "NO, YOU'RE FIRED, AND
WE'RE GOING FIND SOME NEW PEOPLE
TO RUN THIS."
>> WELL, THIS DEMONSTRATION THIS
AFTERNOON REALLY DEMONSTRATED
JUST HOW COMPLEX THIS WHOLE
ISSUE IS, AND THERE WERE VARYING
ESTIMATES OF JUST HOW LARGE THIS
CROWD WAS.
THE ORGANIZERS WERE SAYING THAT
THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE OVER A
MILLION PEOPLE HERE, BUT THE
LOCAL POLICE SAID IT WAS ABOUT
300,000 PEOPLE.
BUT CERTAINLY, THE MAIN STREETS
OF BARCELONA TODAY WERE FULL OF
SPANISH FLAGS, WITH PEOPLE
DEMANDING UNION, SAYING THAT THE
INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT BY THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT HERE WAS
COMPLETELY ILLEGAL, AND THEY
WANT SPAIN TO EXERT CONTROL OVER
THIS REGION, AND INSTITUTE
ARTICLE 155, WHICH MEANS THAT
THE SPANISH CAN HAVE DIRECT
CONTROL.
THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE
HAPPENING.
>> Sreenivasan: TELL US, HOW DO
THEY INSTITUTE DIRECT CONTROL?
I MEAN, WHO ARE THEIR
INSTRUMENTS?
IS IT THE MILITARY?
IS IT THE POLICE FORCE?
>> WELL, THE POLICE FORCE ARE
ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
IT'S THE LOCAL FORCE, IS THE
MOSSOS; THE NATIONAL POLICE
FORCE, THE GUARDIA CIVIL.
AND SO, THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY
CRUCIAL, SORT OF AREA,IN TERMS
OF EXERTING CONTROL, BECAUSE IF
THEY ALLOW THE MOSSOS, THE LOCAL
POLICE TO POLICE THE STREETS,
THEN THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO
HELP TO CALM THINGS DOWN.
IF THE GUARDIA CIVIL COMES IN,
THEN TENSIONS ARE DEFINITELY
GOING TO RISE.
>> Sreenivasan: WHAT HAPPENS TO
MR. PUIGDEMONT, THE GUY WHO LED
THIS REFERENDUM IN THE FIRST
PLACE?
>> A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WELL, HE'S BEEN DISMISSED, AND
THE PERSON WHO'S SUPPOSEDLY
RUNNING THE CATALONIAN AUTHORITY
NOW IS SPAIN'S DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER, AND THE BIG QUESTION
ON EVERYBODY'S LIPS HERE IS
WHETHER OR NOT MR. PUIGDEMONT IS
GOING TO BE ARRESTED.
THERE WAS SOME SORT OF THOUGHT
THAT HE MIGHT BE ARRESTED
TOMORROW, AND THE LOCAL
INDEPENDENTISTAS HERE, WHO ARE
SAYING THEY ARE GOING TO THROW
HUMAN CHAINS AROUND PLACES OF
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY TO
PROTECT THE PEOPLE AT THE HEART
OF THIS INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT.
BUT THERE ARE SOME-- WE WERE
TALKING, AS I SAID, TO THE
POLICE UNION HERE AND THEY THINK
THAT PERHAPS, THAT SPAIN WON'T
NECESSARILY GO IN TO ARREST MR.
PUIGDEMONT, BECAUSE THAT, ONCE
AGAIN, WILL SORT OF SWELL UP
INDEPENDENCE FEELING AND CREATE
A SORT OF GREAT ANTAGONISM.
AND SO, WHAT SEEMS TO BE
HAPPENING HERE IS THIS GREAT
SORT OF SENSE OF LIMBO.
PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR THINGS TO
HAPPEN, BUT NOTHING SEEMS TO BE
A REALLY BIG GOING ON.
YOU WOULDN'T THINK THIS IS A
COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE
CRISIS-- THE ATMOSPHERE IS
REALLY QUITE SORT OF OKAY.
TOURISTS ARE WALKING AROUND,
EVERYBODY SEEMS TO BE HAVING
FUN.
NO SOLDIERS ON THE STREETS OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT, AND MAYBE
THIS IS SPAIN'S POLICY, IN A
WAY, TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT
THERE IS NO INCREASE IN TENSION,
WHICH IS TO DO NOTHING AND LET
THINGS LIE, UNTIL MAYBE THOSE
ELECTIONS WHICH THEY'VE CALLED
ON DECEMBER THE 20th.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT,
MALCOLM BRABANT, JOINING US FROM
BARCELONA TONIGHT.
THANKS SO MUCH.
>> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.