World News for Students of English

10-10-2017 07:00

Catalonia, a region in Spain where the capital is Barcelona, held a referendum on its secession from Spain. The Spanish government said that this referendum was illegal and sent the national police to Catalonia to stop people from voting.

The police hurt around 900 people. Of course, people criticised these practices and Catalonians protested the violence in the streets.

After the referendum, the government ordered the national police back from Catalonia. People filmed the national and Catalan police hugging each other to show that they still respect each other. These images were in sharp contrast to the violence.

The situation has calmed down. People held peaceful protests in Barcelona, calling for a dialogue over Catalonia’s future. The protesters were carrying signs that said ‘let’s talk’, and ‘violence no, talking yes’.

Catalan leaders said that most people voted ‘yes’ for secession from Spain.

Difficult words: referendum (when people vote to say what they want before an official election), secession from Spain (leaving Spain and becoming a new country), violence (fighting).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.