Spain: Int. minister calls out Catalonia leader for 'dragging his feet' in condemning violence

*NO CUTAWAYS AT SOURCE*
W/S Spanish Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska arrives at presser in Madrid
SOT, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spanish Minister of the Interior (Spanish): "What I'd like to tell [Catalonia Regional] President Torra is, first of all, that he explicitly and unambiguously condemn the violence which has been taking place in recent days in Catalonia. Explicitly and unambiguously - not in the middle of the night, seemingly cornered and dragging his feet."
SOT, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spanish Minister of the Interior (Spanish): "As you know, after the verdict was announced last Monday, Catalonia is seeing episodes of great violence led by minority but perfectly organised groups who are gravely affecting public order and causing important damage in public property and buildings."
SOT, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spanish Minister of the Interior (Spanish): "But the damage is not only material, it is also reputational, which is important. The damage to the international image of Catalonia is severe, and a few people are responsible for encouraging it."
SOT, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spanish Minister of the Interior (Spanish): "Many Catalonians feel disoriented and, in some way, orphaned. We want to tell them that there is a government thinking of them, tirelessly watching over their rights. The Spanish government is working to protect them and guarantee their well-being and their security."
SOT, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spanish Minister of the Interior (Spanish): "During yesterday's altercations, 46 people were arrested, bringing the total number of arrests to 97 since the beginning of these criminal acts, when taking into account all arrests since Monday. I want to point out that four of them are in them are in provisional detention pending court rulings. There should be no doubt that we will continue to detain anyone carrying out criminal behaviour, because there is no, and there will be no impunity. When it comes to the officers, 194 have been injured, whether Mossos [Catalonia police] or National Police - some of them are in serious condition."
M/S Grande-Marlaska leaves
SCRIPT
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska called on Catalonia Regional President Quim Torra to "explicitly and unambiguously" condemn violent protests, during a press conference in Madrid on Thursday, accusing Torra of "dragging his feet" when addressing the issue.
"What I'd like to tell [Catalonia Regional] President Torra is, first of all, that he explicitly and unambiguously condemn the violence which has been taking place in recent days in Catalonia," Grande-Marlaska said from the podium at the Moncloa palace. "Not in the middle of the night, seemingly cornered and dragging his feet."
Torra called for "calm and serenity" during a speech in the early hours of Thursday morning, blaming the violence on "a group of infiltrators and provocateurs."
The interior minister also announced 97 people have been arrested in the protests in Catalonia since Monday, and 194 police officers were injured.
The protests were sparked by the Spanish Supreme Court convicting 12 independence leaders, including former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras, for their role in the autonomous region's attempt to achieve secession and holding an illegal independence referendum. Nine of the pro-independence convicted were given jail sentences ranging from nine to 13 years.
Mandatory credit: Palacio de la Moncloa