Hundreds Hurt as Catalans, Spanish Police Clash Amid Independence Referendum Spanish police forcibly remove people from polling stations, had fired rubber pellets By Jon Sindreu, Pietro Lombardi and Jeannette Neumann
https://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-turn-out-in-catalonia-for-independence-referendum-1506838287
BARCELONA—Spain stood on the brink of a political and constitutional crisis after clashes between national police and Catalan voters seeking to cast ballots in an independence referendum for Catalonia deepened a long-running secessionist struggle that has riven Spain.
Catalan officials say millions of people cast ballots in Sunday’s vote in defiance of the Spanish government, which outlawed the ballot and sent thousands of police to the restive region to stop the vote. More than 760 people were left injured, according to Catalan officials, while the Spanish government said 11 police officers were also hurt.
The government of Catalonia, a prosperous region in northeast Spain, is set to announce results of the referendum Monday or Tuesday, with most expecting Catalans to have voted in favor of secession. Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan president, has pledged to declare independence 48 hours after a ‘yes’ vote, throwing down a challenge to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Stark scenes of national police battling civilians could fuel animosity in Catalonia, while also threatening to sap the political support for Mr. Rajoy, who heads a fragile minority government.
“It would have been easier for everyone to turn a blind eye while they carried out a serious attack on our democracy,” said Mr. Rajoy late Sunday. “We did what we had to do.”
The Spanish crisis is also an irritant for other European Union members, many worried that a vote in favor of secession could fuel discontent in independence-minded regions such as the U.K.’s Scotland and Belgium’s Flanders. And if it distracts Mr. Rajoy from dealing with economic problems dogging Spain, such as very high youth unemployment, it could take the shine off one of the region’s brightest recovery stories.
Pro-independence groups defied the Rajoy government Sunday, opening thousands of polling stations in schools and other local buildings for a ballot on whether Catalonia should break free of Spain. Starting Friday evening, thousands of referendum supporters—including families with small children—occupied more than 1,000 polling stations throughout Catalonia to avoid their closure for Sunday’s vote, said Catalan officials. Officials from the central government said the figure was closer to several hundred. CONTINUE AT SITE
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