Spain: Mass protests in response to Catalonia detentions Sep. 20 /update 4

Event

On Wednesday, September 20, the National Guard raided Catalan government buildings, including at least four ministries, at approximately 08:00 (local time) and detained twelve senior government officials. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in Barcelona to protest the raids and detention of public officials, causing police to cut off road traffic to the area around Gran Via-Rambla de Cataluyna. An organization protesting the arrests in the name of democracy is also planned at 19:30 on Wednesday at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. The Spanish government has subsequently suspended leave for all members of the national police and the National Guard until October 5 in response to the planned referendum on October 1.

These measures have prompted the Catalan government to accuse the central government of violating democratic principles, resorting to totalitarian measures, and suspending the region’s autonomy. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has denounced what he perceives to be the enforcement of a “de facto” state of emergency in Catalonia by the Spanish authorities.

On Tuesday, the first of some 700 Catalan mayors summoned by the state prosecutor for pledging to allow the referendum vote to take place arrived for court hearings in Barcelona.

Context

Tensions have become increasingly high in Catalonia between the central and regional government in recent days. Wednesday’s raids follows an operation targeting the postal firm, Unipost, on Tuesday in Terrassa, where the National Guard seized tens of thousands of census cards. Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the printing company prompting the National Guard to resort to using batons to disperse the crowd. The Spanish foreign minister recently accused Catalan referendum leaders of resorting to Nazi and fascist tactics. On Monday, Spanish authorities also seized control of Catalonia’s finances after the regional government refused to disclose its weekly financial report intended to prove that public money was not being used for the referendum.

The central government continues to denounce the referendum as illegal and illegitimate and has enforced a series of measures to block the vote. Reports suggest that Madrid has ordered electricity to be cut at polling stations on the day of the referendum, scheduled for October 1. The Spanish government has suspended all leave for policemen and National Guard soldiers until after the planned referendum date.

Advice

Individuals in Spain are advised to keep abreast of the situation and avoid demonstrations as a precaution.