Spain: Catalan government says 465 injured by police during vote Oct. 1 /update 5

Event

The Catalan government has said that as many as 465 people have been injured as police clash with voters across the region as they attempt to disrupt the independence referendum held on Sunday, October 1.

Earlier in the day, police stormed the voting station at Sant Julià de Ramis (Girona province) and forcibly removed voters and demonstrators. Police also reportedly fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds gathered at the Ramon Llull school voting station in central Barcelona.  Elsewhere in the region, voting has gone ahead peacefully. The police have been ordered to prevent the vote, but not to incite unrest. Nonetheless, further unrest and skirmishes are expected between the police and crowds across Catalonia.

Context

The Catalan bid for independence has become Spain’s worst constitutional crisis in 40 years. Despite Madrid’s repeated attempts to block the vote, through judicial and logistical means, Catalan officials have insisted that referendum will take place, expecting an 80 percent voter turnout. Earlier in the day, large crowds gathered outside polling station across Catalonia, ahead of the independence referendum. Referendum organizers urged voters to turn up to “defend” the polling stations from 05:00 (local time). Some 6,000 extra police have been deployed to stop the vote.

On Saturday,  a senior representative of Madrid announced that the police had sealed off 1,300 of the 2,315 polling stations in the region. The same day, officials searched the Catalan government telecommunications centre, and have also reportedly disabled the software connecting polling stations, shutting down online voting applications.

Advice

Individuals in Spain, particularly in Catalonia, are advised to keep abreast of the situation and to avoid all gatherings as a precaution due to the risk of associated unrest and violence.