A CATALAN flag flying proudly from a house in Middlesbrough is a symbol of resistance from a woman forced to watch from her sofa as the crisis in her home country deepens.

Hailing from a small town near Barcelona, Carla More moved to England for love four years ago and is now flying Catalonia's flag to signal her support for the region as its long-running battle for independence escalates.

She sees echoes of civil war in the deepening conflict between the Spanish and the Catalans in the wake of a referendum recently declared illegal.

On October 1, there were violent clashes as Spanish police, accused of using “excessive force” targeted demonstrators and those attempting to vote yes or no to an independent Catalonia.

Since, amid heightening tensions, Spain has dissolved the Catalan parliament and called for fresh elections.

A number of Catalonia’s leaders have been arrested while Spain’s state prosecutor is calling for an arrest warrant for deposed president Carles Puigdemont, who is currently in Belgium.

Ms More says her family and friends at home face the prospect of further hostility and violence as they continue to support independence in an increasingly unpredictable and tense environment.

She defended her people against accusations of separatism and imperialistic nationalism as she said their battle was rooted in a long history of oppression and a desire to safeguard Catalan culture and language.

Ms More says the quest for independence is being led by the young but remains hugely important to those of her grandparents and parents’ generation, who grew up under the influence of a dictatorship which sought to eradicate the Catalan identity.

She believes there are historic differences between the politics and ideologies of Spain and Catalonia that mean the views of the Catalan population are not adequately represented under Spanish rule.

Ms More said: “There is a lot of misinformation out there but really, this is not a battle of flags, it is a battle for the fundamental right of people to have their voices heard, whether they vote yes or no to independence.

“The fight for independence is not about imperialist nationalism or a desire to exclude anyone, it is about protecting Catalan language and culture.

“Our culture was oppressed and persecuted and so we feel very protective of it.

“I see the same divides being drawn as they were in the time of civil war and we do not want to go back to the time of Franco.”

She added: “People at home are angry and they are taking to the streets in protest, I feel sad that I cannot be with them.

“Because my grandparents grew up in the war, when they could have gone to prison for speaking our language, I have grown up with a strong sense of separation, of Catalonia being different.

“My grandfather went out to vote in the referendum and it was very important to him to do so as he had grown up under a dictatorship and faced real oppression, for him it was liberating.

“Luckily the police did not come to our small town but I watched the violence and worried, I didn’t think the police would go so far in using force and that force is now being excused by those in authority, which makes everything so unpredictable.”

Ms More will travel to Catalonia to cast her vote in elections set to take place in December.