GETTY The Catalan government is campaigning to break away from Spain

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The Catalan government's campaign to break away from Spain has pushed the country into its worst political crisis since a failed coup attempt in 1981. Thousands of people have demonstrated in the Catalan capital Barcelona and other Spanish cities demanding independence in recent weeks. But their cries have been overshadowed by shocking attacks by armed police on citizens just trying to vote, with the heavy-handedness drawing condemnation from around the world. Now one businessman has warned enough is enough - as he insisted the Spanish government just “let Catalonia go” or risk being dragged down and destroyed by the enveloping crisis.

Xavier Adam, a London-born financial investor who was brought up in Catalonia and considers himself to be a Spaniard, told Express.co.uk he was disgusted by the actions of the Spanish government and its police and military. The Managing Director of AMC network finance firm, Mr Adam says he has decided to cut a planned $450 million investment in Spanish real estate projects in protest at what he sees as Madrid’s “medieval” response to the crisis. He explained he feels his investment would be unsafe until the crisis is solved, as he believes Spain has undone 40 years of democratic progress with the actions of the police - and he warned the instability could send the already fragile country under. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk today, he said: “It never had to be this way, going to beat up people in the streets just trying to vote, its been pandemonium.

Catalan referendum: Brutality of Catalonia's referendum vote Tue, October 3, 2017 Scenes at the Catalan independence referendum Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 17 People clash with Spanish Guardia Civil

“But Spain can’t come to terms with losing Catalonia, and losing the GDP it provides. "Madrid is being worse hit than Catalonia, it is really struggling. Madrid and Spain is facing a crisis. “Every day they’re threatening more violence and its just grubby, people think its just grubby. “It’s so hard to work with these people in government, they have got their ideas and they are fixed on them. “And Catalonia’s independence doesn’t feature in that, so they’re trying to teach them a lesson.

AFP Thousands of people have attended Catalonia independence protests

Spain is going down and this government has to go. It is too volatile - you don't know when it is going to blow Xavier Adam

“But there will be more and more of these demos and more and more protests and something is going to happen. “Spain is going down and this government has to go. It is too volatile - you don't know when it is going to blow." Mr Adam, 40, says he was so enraged by the response to the referendum, he even wrote to Carlos Bastarreche, Spain’s ambassador to the UK, saying: “As an international investor of some repute and an expert on the Spanish economy, I write to say how appalled I am by the way your country has behaved in Catalonia. “It appears to me, a failure to listen to the will of the Catalan people, state sponsored violence against civilians and a manipulation of the Spanish public and media are ways Spain wants to move through the 21st Century.

AFP Shocking attacks by armed police on citizens have overshadowed the vote

AFP Catalonia must be set free, Xavier Adam said

“It does not take an expert on global conflict to realise Catalonia does not want to be part of this archaic system. “Do the right thing and let Catalonia go.” He also told Spain’s embassy in London he would be pulling out from his multi-million-pound investment deal in Spain because of the “repression, kangaroo legal approach, cutting off IT systems, malicious propaganda [and] the beating of innocent and unarmed civilians who just want to vote”. Mr Adam told Express.co.uk: “We are a key player in Spain, managing money in and out. We also have some large Spanish clients which we are reviewing going forward. “I have told some of them they should be leaning on the Spanish state for what it has done. It's appalling and embarrasses every Spaniard.

“I should know I am one.... or was, no more.” Catalan voters wanted to break away from Spain in a referendum on October 1, which Spain’s Constitutional Court branded to be illegal. Last week President Carles Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence but halted its rollout to allow negotiations to take place. Madrid has now given Mr Puigdemont until Thursday this week to clarify his position.

AFP Catalan Carles Puigdemont said the parliament could vote on independence

AFP Madrid said it would take extreme steps and remove the autonomy of Catalonia