There are only five days to go before the Catalan referendum, and international newspapers are hurrying to explain the Catalan independence movement to their readers and give them the context to understand what will happen on 1st October. One example is the US newspaper and website Politico which, on their European version, has published a chronology of the movement.
Under the title "Catalonia referendum: How did we get here?", the newspaper goes over the events of recent years in Catalonia, explaining how "Catalans went from dealmaking to insurrection". The chronology starts with former Spanish prime minister José Zapatero saying he would support proposed reforms to Catalonia's Statute of Autonomy, through to the recent passing of the Law for the Referendum by the Catalan parliament and the legal and police repression since then to stop the vote, passing through "operation Catalonia", the alleged plot by figures within the Spanish government and police to curb Catalonia's independence movement.
The report by the newspaper, which has one of the largest print runs in Brussels, details the events that have led to Catalans holding a referendum without Madrid's consent, and shows Rajoy's refusals to negotiate. It also notes that Rajoy's PP (Popular Party) collected signatures against the Statute reform, refused to accept a fiscal pact like the one the Basque Country has and, finally, directly opposed a referendum on Catalan independence.