Royal blast over vote

SPAIN’S King Felipe VI has accused Catalan secessionist leaders of shattering democratic principles and dividing Catalan society, as thousands took to the streets to protest against a violent police crackdown against the banned independence referendum.

The televised speech by the 49-year-old monarch was a sign of how deeply Spain has been shaken by the Catalan vote and a police crackdown that injured 900 people.

The referendum and its aftermath have plunged Spain into a constitutional crisis. Late Tuesday, Catalonia’s leader, Carles Puigdemont, told the BBC the region would declare independence within days.