Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont on Saturday said he refused to recognize the dismissal of the Catalan government by Madrid and called for resistance to direct rule by Madrid.
"We are planning to continue our activities in order to implement the democratic mandates and at the same time to strive for maximum stability and peace, taking into account all the difficulties of such a stage… I want to call for patience and for insistence," Puigdemont said in a statement.
The politician added that Catalonia would continue its efforts in the creation of a free country, however, it would not like to be the reason behind the use of force.
The Catalan parliament adopted a resolution declaring the region's independence from Spain in the form of a republic. Following the declaration of independence, Spain's Senate voted to invoke article 155 of the Constitution and thus impose direct rule on Catalonia by dissolving local parliament and firing the devolved government.
Madrid and Barcelona have been at odds after the October referendum in Catalonia, where some 90 percent of voters backed the idea of the secession.