Catalonia's police force told its officers to remain neutral in the struggle over the region's fight for independence from Spain, a step toward averting possible conflict as the Madrid government starts to impose control on Saturday.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed the Catalan government, took over the administration and called a new election after the regional parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence on Friday, aggravating Spain's worst political crisis in four decades.
The independence declaration, though dramatic, was almost immediately rendered futile by Rajoy's actions. Other European countries and the United States also rejected it and expressed support for Spain's prime minister.