Catalonia president opens independence campaign

Political tension in Spain mounted Thursday as Catalonia’s president opened the “yes” campaign for a regional independence referendum that has been suspended by the courts.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and other supporters of secession gathered at an arena in Tarragona to address thousands of people at the kickoff for the two-week campaign.

“Somebody thinks that we won’t vote on Oct. 1? What kind of people do they think we Catalans are?” Puigdemont asked the crowd. “In Catalonia, we are democrats.”