Spain’s government said Wednesday it will consider constitutional changes that would allow for regional governments to hold referendums on independence, like the banned vote on October 1 that sparked a political crisis in Spain’s Catalonia region. The apparent olive branch came as pro-independence activists called a general strike Wednesday. In Barcelona, riot police arrested students who stormed a train station and shut down high-speed rail service. Police also removed demonstrators who blockaded roads and highways across the city. This is Adriana, a Barcelona student who said the protesters are demanding the release of Catalan political leaders who’ve been arrested on charges of rebellion and sedition.

Adriana: “In order to break with the picture of normalcy, as if nothing was happening here, to demand the freedom of the political prisoners and to keep on taking the streets, because the republic which has been declared needs to be defended, we need to stay organized and keep demonstrating.”