Spanish president vows 'forceful' response if Catalonia breaks law

The Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, has said his government will respond in a "firm and forceful" way if Catalonia breaks the Spanish legal framework.

In a plenary session of the Congress convened on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Catalonia, and also Brexit, Sánchez said he will send Spanish police officers to Catalonia should Catalan law enforcement continue in "failing to perform its functions."

Sánchez made his remarks after groups of pro-independence activists cut some highways in Catalonia this weekend, while officers did not restrain them –something Madrid has criticized and for which the prosecutor is investigating the Catalan police.

Comparing independence with Brexit

During his almost hour-long speech, Sánchez compared the independence movement in Catalonia with Brexit several times.

"Both walk on parallel roads with similar discourses, an account of invented grievances amplified by the manipulation of forcing citizens to choose between being European or not, between being Spanish or Catalan," he claimed.

Both, according to the Spanish president, are based on "lies" and aim to "polarize" society and bring it "face-to-face."

He also said that despite the demonstrations expected, he will go ahead with meeting his cabinet on December 21 in Barcelona.

Sánchez also criticized Torra's comments advocating the Slovenian path to independence.