Spanish government representative apologises for Catalonia violence

A representative for the Spanish government in Catalonia has apologised for the violence which marred Sunday’s illegal referendum in the region.

Enric Millo said the Madrid government "regrets and apologises on behalf of the officers that intervened" in clashes that left over 900 people injured on Sunday, but reiterated the illegality of the vote.

Tensions in the region have reached boiling point this week as regional authorities have said they are ready to make a unilateral declaration of independence, leading to the central government suspending Monday’s parliament meeting in Barcelona.

According to the officials in charge of the independence vote for the region, which had been declared illegal by Madrid's constitutional court, over 90% of those who voted opted to separate from Spain.

The head of the Catalan Mossos police force appeared in court in Madrid on Friday accused of aiding the separatist movement in carrying out the referendum.

In a televised address on Tuesday, Felipe VI added fuel to the fire by completely condemning Catalan officials for carrying out the vote and not suggesting any form of mediation between the two sides.

Spanish stocks slipped on Friday after recovering somewhat on Thursday from a tanking earlier in the week. Catalan bank Sabadell has moved its headquarters to Alicante as pressure grows on financial entities in the region, with Caixabank said to be considering a similar move over the next few days if independence is declared.