--- description: Catalan leaders will continue to seek independence within 18 months, defying Spain's Constitutional Court’s attempt to block the secession. title: Catalonia Pushes Plans for Secession Despite Court Order image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09ef817e470131fe/698870b1524fc0bba0df570f/gettyimages-496395902.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Spanish Region of Catalonia Says It Will Defy a Court Order and Go Ahead With Independence by [Mark Rivett-Carnac](/author/mark-rivett-carnac/) ## Mark Rivett-Carnac Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 12, 2015 7:01 AM CUT  Pro-independent Catalonia flags hang from the balcony of a residential home in Barcelona, Spain, Nov. 9, 2015 Pro-independent Catalonia flags hang from the balcony of a residential home in Barcelona, Spain, Nov. 9, 2015Bloomberg—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Mark Rivett-Carnac](/author/mark-rivett-carnac/) ## Mark Rivett-Carnac Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 12, 2015 7:01 AM CUT Catalan leaders say they will [continue to seek independence](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/11/us-spain-catalonia-idUSKCN0T01AU20151111#9Xd5rqgave0qluc8.97 "undefined") within 18 months, defying an attempt by the Spanish Constitutional Court to block the secession process on Wednesday. The Madrid-based court ruled that an appeal by the central government, which seeks to prevent the breakaway of the autonomous northeastern region, must be heard. According to Reuters, it also warned that failure to bring a halt to secession would be seen as “disobedience.” But pro-independence leaders elected to Catalonia’s regional parliament in September have vowed to ignore the ruling. “The will of the Catalan people cannot be suspended,” Oriol Junqueras, one of Catalonia’s independence leaders, said on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/junqueras "undefined"). “We are committed to continue with our democratic mandate.” The standoff intensifies just weeks before December’s general election. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/11/us-spain-catalonia-idUSKCN0T01AU20151111#9Xd5rqgave0qluc8.97 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4109615/catalonia-spain-independence-court/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4109615/catalonia-spain-independence-court/"},"headline":"The Spanish Region of Catalonia Says It Will Defy a Court Order and Go Ahead With Independence","datePublished":"2015-11-12T07:01:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:32:26.268Z","description":"The standoff intensifies just weeks before December's general election","url":"https://time.com/4109615/catalonia-spain-independence-court/","keywords":["Spain","court","Madrid","Catalonia","independence","Barcelona"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09ef817e470131fe/698870b1524fc0bba0df570f/gettyimages-496395902.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mark Rivett-Carnac","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/mark-rivett-carnac/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt09ef817e470131fe/698870b1524fc0bba0df570f/gettyimages-496395902.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Daily Life In Spain As Catalan Assembly Votes to Start Secession","caption":"Daily Life In Spain As Catalan Assembly Votes to Start Secession","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4109615/catalonia-spain-independence-court/","name":"The Spanish Region of Catalonia Says It Will Defy a Court Order and Go Ahead With Independence"}}]}] ```