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Spain Police Crackdown Against the Banned Catalan Referendum

Megarani Tantoni
SAINT JULIA DE RAMIS, Spain- Amidst the turnout of Catalans sought to defy Spanish authorities by voting in a banned independence referendum on Sunday morning, the Civil Guard officers broke through the polling station only to errupt scuffles which worsened after they forcefully occupied the sports center in Saint Julia De Ramis.
Masses of Catalans struggled against the Civil Guards to prevent them dismantling the polling station, October 1, 2017. AP

The ballot which started at 9.30 am has been considered illegal under the Spanish Constitution. As a result, hundreds of the Civil Guard polices were sent by the Central Government of Madrid to secure the situation. The Civil Guards teamed up to break the glass of the front door using a hammer and a lock cutter to break into the sports center which earmarked as the polling station. The situation was tense as a helicopter circled the chanting crowds and clashes between Civil Guards members and the individual citizens of Catalan heated up.

A man struggled with the police in Saint Julia de Ramis, near Girona, October 1, 2017. Sky News
Liz Castro, a Barcelona-based American writer and researcher, stated that the independence movement was encouraged from the individual citizens and communities who got together. She said, “We need to change the situation. It’s not working for us.”

All these years, Catalans felt that they were the victims of their own economic success as the central government dissatisfied them with the insufficient recognition of Catalan culture, language and identity. The pro-independence leader, Carles Puigdemont emphasized that once the "yes" vote reached its victory, the Catalan government would declare independence within 48 hours.

Sources:

  • Reuters (Link), accessed on October 1, 2017
  • Associated Press News (Link), accessed on October 1, 2017
  • Sky News (Link), accessed on October 1, 2017
  • USA Today (Link), accessed on October 1, 2017
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