Catalan divisions could lead to sectarian violence, warns Spanish professor in Athens

The division in Catalonia between those in favor and those against the region's independence from Spain is quite similar to that in Northern Ireland, with sectarian tensions being possible too, warned Professor Ignacio Molina of the Elcano Royal Institute and the Autonomous University of Madrid at an event organized in Athens by a leading Greek think tank.

Speaking at the European Parliament's Athens office where the event by the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) was held, Molina shed light on the divisions in the Catalan society that have created "not two but three Catalonias," as he explained.

The main factor for the failed independence bid a couple of years ago "has been the structure of the conflict, with half of local people being against independence," he argued, declaring his own belief that "just like Canada without Quebec is not...