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Police and would-be voters have clashed during a Catalan independence referendum held on Sunday:
Scenes of chaos and violence unfolded in Catalonia as an independence referendum deemed illegal by Madrid devolved quickly on Sunday. As police followed orders from the central government to put a stop to the vote, they fired rubber bullets at unarmed protesters and smashed through the glass at polling places, reports The Associated Press. Three hundred and thirty-seven people were injured, some seriously, according to Catalonia's government spokesman.
Spain's Interior Ministry said a dozen police officers were injured. NPR's Lauren Frayer reports from Barcelona that some people were throwing rocks down at officers from balconies. Yet the violence came from all directions.
"Horrible scenes," Lauren reports. "Police dragging voters out of polling stations, some by the hair."
Scuffles erupted as riot police forcefully removed hundreds of would-be voters from polling places across Barcelona, the Catalan capitol, reports AP. Nevertheless, many people, managed to successfully cast their ballots across the region after waiting in lines hundreds-of-people-deep, including the elderly and families with small children, says Reuters.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that he did not acknowledge the vote and called it "illegal".
Also at NYT, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and BBC:
Catalan emergency officials say 761 people have been injured as police used force to try to block voting in Catalonia's independence referendum.
Update: Catalan referendum: Catalonia has 'won right to statehood'
Spain Vows to Enforce the Law in Rebel Catalonia
Catalonia Leaders Seek to Make Independence Referendum Binding
Previously: Spain Trying to Stop Catalonia Independence Referendum
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @11:45PM
How can you take them seriously when they ask for independence but then start adding "but this we keep united"? Monetary and ego reasons, mostly, seem to create a lot of fake independentists.
Futbol Club Barcelona is talking about selecting which league they would play, even when the organizers, laws and others factors say you must be "registered sports company" in Spain, follow the national soccer org. rules, etc, so if they are out, they can't play. They are also very outspoken about independence, spectators sing in every match, show off independentist flags... and still played the Spanish national trophy (booing Spanish hymn). Principles, do you have any, FCB?
http://www.elmundo.es/deportes/futbol/2017/10/02/59d2682622601d1a168b464a.html [elmundo.es]
One of the soccer players in the Spanish national team, from FCB, is very outspoken and wants to be independent. He has been dragging the issue for years, instead of declining the offer every time. Yet only when he started to get booed (go figure where fans got the idea...) he started to talk about leaving the team. Principles, do you have any, Mr Pique?
https://elpais.com/deportes/2017/10/01/actualidad/1506878465_614070.html [elpais.com]
"Oh, we are independent... but only when it is nice for us." Fakes, that is what they are. Why are their independence claims to be believed when they are not sticking to them for the ugly parts? Nobody forces them to play, nothing in Constitution says players must take part in national teams, or teams must take part in leagues and trophies. But staying home doesn't makes big money and launches your public career for later.
Keep and eat the cake. Gotcha.