Government considers challenging order to remove yellow ribbons

The Catalan executive will "almost certainly" challenge the ruling by Spain’s electoral authority to remove yellow ribbons from all government buildings within 48 hours, according to spokeswoman and presidency minister, Elsa Artadi.

With three elections coming in April and May, the electoral authority's ruling to remove Catalan independence flags and the yellow ribbons (in support of jailed pro-independence leaders) followed a complaint by the unionist Ciutadans (Cs) party.

On Tuesday, the Cs leader, Inés Arrimadas, warned president Quim Torra that disobeying the ruling would be "very serious" and she regretted that public buildings had become "notice boards" with the faces of politicians on trial who will stand in the April 28 general election.

It was not an opinion shared by Ernest Maragall, who will stand for Barcelona mayor for the ERC pro-independence party in May. The former Catalan foreign minister called the authority's ruling a "negation of freedom of expression."