MADRID: Spain's King Felipe VI on Tuesday sternly denounced the bid by Catalan leaders to make their region independent and threw his weight behind the national authorities' efforts to "ensure constitutional order".
Felipe had previously struck a conciliatory tone over the tensions with Catalonia but raised the tone dramatically in a short televised address, warning that Catalan leaders' "irresponsible conduct could put at risk the economic and social stability of Catalonia and all of Spain."