A NEW group has sprung up in Scotland to back the Catalan cause, in the shape of the Catalan Defence Committee Scotland, which emerged from the demonstrations organised by Jonathon Shafi, co-founder of the Radical Independence Campaign.

He told The National there was a need for a broader and more permanent body to support Catalonia.

“We’ll be facilitating local meetings and localities, developing solidarity with the union movement and touring public meetings,” he said. “And we’ll be working closely with organisations in Catalonia. They’re preparing to share what they’re doing via their social media to show that people across Europe are speaking out for democracy.”

Shafi said the escalation in recent days put a requirement on UK political parties to oppose the actions of the Spanish state.

“Jeremy Corbyn should be speaking to the PSoE, the Spanish equivalent of the Labour Party, to say we shouldn’t back the triggering of direct rule Article 155; the Scottish Government has to speak out now, very loudly, in defence of Catalan autonomy, and should unilateral independence be declared, they will need support, especially when Spain is taking action to effectively shut down the Catalan Parliament.”

Catalan national Monica Pons, a transnational crime, justice and security student at Glasgow University, said Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, is not able to deal with the Catalan conflict.

“Carles Puigdemont [Catalonia’s president] kept asking for dialogue and negotiation, but if only one part wants that it’s impossible to achieve anything.

“I understand that our government is delaying the declaration of independence because we need international support and mediation, but Rajoy is never going to talk about anything, because the unity of Spain is the only topic on his table.

“I assume that the EU will take the independence of Catalonia as a failure of their system and this is why they are not even against the use of violence against peaceful citizens.” She added that using Article 155 – the nuclear option – to take control of Catalan government functions, would not solve the problem.

“They have been using the threat of violence – with the huge amount of police officers sent to Catalonia – and Article 155 to abolish our autonomy to solve the problem, but that is not a solution. It is just an option that is creating more distance and hate between Catalans and Spanish people.”

Writer and author Liz Castro, a former chair of the Catalan National Assembly’s international committee, said: “It’s difficult to know what’s going to happen but I think they’re going to declare independence, officially, with a vote.

“Everything I’ve read indicates there won’t be elections, and from the declarations I’ve seen from political leaders it would be suicide for Puigdemont. It will take a certain amount of time, but they promised a referendum, and passed the law that within 48 hours they have to declare it. I don’t see how Puigdemont could back off and call elections.”