Spain's Constitutional Court has suspended Catalonia’s planned independence referendum.  The court decided to consider the Spanish central government’s arguments claiming the 9 November vote breached the country’s constitution.

“Nobody and nothing will be allowed to break up Spain,” said Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who told reporters that the vote was not “compatible with the Spanish constitution”.

Two days ago and emboldened by Scotland’s recent independence vote, Catalan leader Artur Mas signed a decree calling for the referendum.  Independence leaders had already begun campaigning, and the region was preparing 10,000 ballot boxes and six million ballots.  The Catalan government says the court and the objections of Madrid will only serve to galvanize the independence movement.

The central government “think they’re killing it, but I’m convinced that what this does is reinforce the movement in Catalonia”, said Catalan government spokesman Francesc Homs Molist.  Before the Constitutional Court acted, polls showed a majority of Catalans wants the vote to go ahead.  With the court order, the newspaper El Pais reports 45 percent still want the vote to go ahead.

If the court rules with Rajoy against Catalonia, Homs says the independence movement won’t end.  “We won’t just stand there with our arms crossed as if the game is over.”