Clashes as riot police crack down on banned Catalan vote
[AFP]
Marianne Barriaux with Daniel Silva in Madrid
October 1, 2017

Barcelona (AFP) - Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations in Catalonia on Sunday as thousands turned out to vote in an independence referendum banned by Madrid.

At least 91 people were confirmed injured in clashes out of more than 330 who went to hospital, emergency services said, as police cracked down on what the Spanish central government branded a "farce".

The violence further heightened tensions between Madrid and the authorities in Catalonia in the worst political crisis the country has witnessed in decades.

"Spanish democracy faces its greatest challenge," headlined top-selling El Pais daily just hours before police moved in en masse to seal off polling stations and seize ballot boxes, sparking scuffles as they sought to block the vote.

In the second such vote in three years, more than 5.3 million people were called on to have their say on independence from Spain in the wealthy northeastern region which has its own distinct language and culture.

The referendum poses the question: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?"

- 'End this farce' -

But it has been ruled unconstitutional by the central government and the courts, with judicial officials ordering police to seize ballot papers, detain key organisers and shut down websites promoting the vote.

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria called on the Catalan government to call off what she dismissed as a "farce," as police fanned out across the region to block voting.

The Catalan government has "behaved in an absolutely irresponsible manner, it tried to annul law and justice in Catalonia, and with it democracy," she said.

In central Barcelona, riot police charged at demonstrators who were sitting on the ground blocking their way after they raided a polling station at a school, and fired rubber bullets, witnesses said.

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- Over-taxed, under-funded -

Although Catalans are divided over independence, most want to vote on the matter in a legal and binding plebiscite.

Pro-separatist lawmakers in Catalonia have pushed for an independence referendum since September 2015 when they won a narrow majority in the region's parliament.

Although Catalonia already has significant control over education, healthcare and welfare, the region says it pays more in taxes than it receives from Madrid.

This has sparked resentment which has been further exacerbated by Spain's economic woes and helped push the secessionist cause.

The Catalan government says independence would leave the region richer and more able to protect its language and culture

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/crunch-time-c...-043806211.html

Catalonia Referendum Livewire: Spain Violently Suppressing Vote Which ‘Runs Counter to Goals and Ideal of the EU’
by Jack Montgomery
1 Oct 2017

Spanish police and military guards are aggressively suppressing a self-determination referendum on independence for Catalonia, which Madrid says “runs counter to the goals and ideals of the European Union”.

The Spanish government enjoys the support of the EU’s unelected executive, with the President of the European Commission warning against “separatist adventures” and asserting that “regional traditions” should not “set themselves as elements of separatism and fragmentation of Europe”.

The Catalans, who have their own regional government based in Barcelona, have a troubled relationship with Spain, which violently stripped away their autonomy and attempted to stamp out their language during the Franco years, and also settled hundreds of thousands of outsiders in the region to try and dilute its sense of national identity.

Catalonia’s leaders organised a referendum on establishing an independent republic in 2014, which was approved with over 80 per cent of the votes cast — but Spain, backed by the European Union, refused to recognise it.

Nevertheless, the Catalan parliament resolved to secede from Spain in November 2015, and is holding a referendum today which — if successful — will see the region declare independence within 48 hours.

The Spanish authorities have declared the vote illegal, and are going to great lengths to disrupt and dismantle it.

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http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/10/...goals-ideal-eu/


The EU doesn't need no stinkin' nationalism !!!

I suspect the election of Trump has emboldened nationalists globally.

UPDATE


Catalan health services raises number of people injured by police Sunday to 761
by AP1 Oct 201745

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Catalan health services raises number of people injured by police Sunday to 761.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/catalan-he...-sunday-to-761/