A chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia has agreed to make a criminal referral regarding the Catalan president, Quim Torra, for not complying with an order it issued in September for the removal of a banner expressing support for the imprisoned pro-independence leaders from the balcony of the Catalan government palace.

In its decision, signed by three of the chamber's four judges, the chamber agrees to present evidence against Torra to their relevant fellow judges. In September, they gave the president 48 hours to remove the banner, following an appeal presented by the association Impulso Ciudadano, which was calling for the building to remain neutral even outside of the formal election period.

Should this go ahead, it would be the second set of criminal proceedings against Quim Torra for refusing to remove symbols of support for the political prisoners from public buildings. The first case, over a charge of disobedience relating to the Central Electoral Commission, went to trial just this Monday.