Catalan leaders on Friday voted for independence in an assembly that was half empty, where they cast secret ballots on a resolution with neither legal or effective value. Of 135 deputies, 70 voted in favor of a resolution that urges the regional government to open up a constituent process. Another 55 lawmakers walked out, and 10 voted against it.

Images of an empty parliament secretly voting on such a relevant issue will forever change not just Catalonia, but all of Spain. The vote was secret because proclaiming independence is considered a crime of rebellion, which entails prison terms of up to 35 years.